Astros 40-Man Roster Players set to become free agents: Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert, Daulton Varsho, Christian Vazquez, Enyel De Los Santos, and LaMonte Wade Jr. Tatsuya Imai has an opt-out clause in his contract, and the Astros hold a one-year option on Ryan Weiss's contract (Weiss is not currently on the 40-man roster, and the team obviously will not exercise the option). Houston also holds a one-year option on Isaac Paredes's contract; however, even if they did not exercise it, the player would remain under team control due to having less than six years of service time. In any case, the option value is lower than what he could earn in potential arbitration should the Astros decline it, so I believe picking up Paredes's option is a no-brainer for the front office. Players in their final year of team control: Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Peter Lambert, and Cristian Javier.

Joey Loperfido began Sunday’s action with a slash line of .292/.385/.406 over 52 games (235 PA) for the Triple-A Sugar Land team. He is on the 40-man roster, offers solid defense at all three outfield positions and first base, runs well, and is healthy. He might not be the solution for the Astros' everyday lineup, but neither are Nelson Velázquez, LaMonte Wade, Taylor Trammell, or the recently acquired José Barrosa. All four arrived in Houston after being designated for assignment or released by their previous teams. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand the Houston front office's way of operating.