Astros' Franklin Barreto: Making spring, Houston debuts

Barreto (elbow) will start at second base and bat ninth Monday in the Astros' Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He'll be making both his spring and Astros debuts after he agreed to a minor-league deal with Houston last week. Once a highly-touted prospect, Barreto's star has dimmed in light of his poor body of work at the big-league level between stops with the Athletics and Angels from 2017 through 2020. He missed the entire 2021 season due to an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery, but his inclusion in the lineup Monday at a middle-infield position implies that he's back to full health. Barreto is expected to open the season with the Astros' Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land.