Why the Houston Astros must avoid trading top pitching prospect Miguel Ullola before the 2025 deadline to protect their future.

The call-up of outfield prospect Jacob Melton has produced a cutback in Jose Altuve's appearances in left field. But the Houston Astros are not abandoning the plan to use Altuve in left, manager Joe Espada said.

After making just five starts at second base over the Astros' first 37 games, veteran Jose Altuve manned second for the fifth time in his past nine starts on Wednesday as Houston pounded out a 10-2 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox.

The Houston Astros face many decisions when it comes to their roster, but one of the biggest factors influencing their trades is Jose Altuve.

In his first at-bat Tuesday, Yainer Diaz drove an elevated fastball from White Sox starter Shane Smith to deep right field. The ball left his bat at 99.4 mph. Statcast gave it a .450 expected batting average.

The Guardians' offense has been struggling, and facing Cy Young candidate Hunter Brown won't make things any easier in Saturday's matchup.

The issue with Melton is his plate discipline. Though the outfielder cut his chase rate from 33.1 percent last season to 24.1 percent this season in Triple-A and has one of the higher bat speeds on the Astros at 73.3 mph, he will need to live up to his potential.

The Houston Astros aren't a perfect team. They certainly aren't like past versions of themselves when they had virtually no holes on their roster. Yet, this Ast