The Ultimatum Season! Astros Players Face Make-or-Break Year with No Options Remaining
Roster decisions will need to be made for the Houston Astros ahead of Opening Day, but until that point, the players in Major League camp will be competing for their spot by putting together good showings throughout the spring.
There aren’t a lot of openings for the Astros.
Even after the departures of four starters from last year’s roster, Houston has done a good job of backfilling those spots by plugging Chas McCormick into right field, acquiring Isaac Paredes to cover third base and relying upon some of their young arms in the rotation and bullpen.
But since the Astros are also fairly veteran laden, the decisions they make ahead of Opening Day and throughout the season could have major ramifications when it comes to their depth.
For example, Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors put together a list of Houston players who are out of options, meaning these 10 cannot be sent to the minors without being exposed to waivers.
-Bryan Abreu, RP
-Shawn Dubin, RP
-Mauricio Dubon, IF/OF
-Cooper Hummel, C/OF
-Kaleb Ort, RP
-Isaac Paredes, IF
-Tayler Scott, RP
-Jon Singleton, 1B
-Taylor Trammell, OF
-Forrest Whitley, RP
There are some interesting names on this list.
At the moment, both Shawn Dubin and Taylor Trammell are dealing with injuries, so depending on their recovery timelines, they could either be placed on the injured list or designated for assignment which would allow another team to claim them.
Outside of those two, the duo of Forrest Whitley and Jon Singleton are interesting.
Both star prospects in their own right at different times, things didn’t quite work out for either of them like anyone envisioned.
Singleton carved out a role for himself last year, something he could still have in 2025. But after the addition of Christian Walker at first base, that limits the need for him on the roster.
It’s now or never for Whitley.
He has to make the Opening Day squad or his time with the Astros is likely over since he’ll almost certainly be claimed by another team if he hits waivers.
Bryan Abreu, Mauricio Dubon and Paredes won’t be DFA’d at any point barring an unforeseen display of ineptitude that would force the team’s hand. So them being out of options isn’t a big deal.
As for Kaleb Ort, Tayler Scott and Cooper Hummel, they could be at risk of being designated for assignment depending on their performance this spring, with Hummel being the most likely candidate out of all 10 players to get DFA’d.
