Castro should squeeze in most of Grapefruit season
--C Jason Castro is expected back for the second week of Grapefruit League games, manager Brad Mills said. Castro missed last season because of a torn ACL and had surgery in December to remove a sesamoid bone from his foot.
--OF Justin Ruggiano signed a minor league deal with the Astros that includes an invitation to major league spring training. Ruggiano, 29, has a career .226 batting average in the majors with six home runs in 195 at-bats, and a .289 mark in Triple-A. "We had very positive scouting reports on Ruggiano," general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "We've got to fill at least four or five spots in the outfield at the big-league level as well as Oklahoma City, and really wanted to have some options to mix and match."
--LF J.D. Martinez said he has gained 22 pounds this offseason as his weight and his production fell, as usual, by the end of last season. Martinez had an on-base plus slugging of .834 OPS in August last year, and that fell to .622 in September as the long season took its toll.
--SS Jed Lowrie avoided arbitration with a one-year deal worth $1.15 million plus performance and award bonus clauses. Lowrie had sought $1.5 million in arbitration while the club offered $900,000. With the two sides settling, the Astros will not have any cases go to arbitration this year.
--RHP Aneury Rodriguez continued his winter ball season to within two weeks of the Astros' report date for pitchers and catchers. He pitched for the Dominican Republic's championship team in the Caribbean Series, finishing the winter with a 2.52 ERA in eight starts and one relief appearance.
BY THE NUMBERS
61 -- Players who will be in camp with the Astros this year, a number with which general manager Jeff Luhnow says he's comfortable. He said he is done actively seeking upgrades.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's just a matter of staying healthy, having a little good luck on my side and staying on the field." -- SS Jed Lowrie, who has sustained wrist and shoulder injuries and a long bout with mono in his four-year career, but trusts his abilities if healthy.
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