Astros' Justin Dirden: Impressing team

Dirden has impressed manager Dusty Baker with his performance early in spring training, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dirden has earned a substantial amount of playing time so far, and he's taken advantage by crushing two home runs across eight plate appearances. He's a 25-year-old prospect that reached Triple-A Sugar Land by the close of the 2022 season, though he struggled to a .242/.305/.398 slash line while striking out at a 28.2 percent clip across 142 plate appearances. Dirden is unlikely to earn a roster spot with the Astros out of spring training barring an injury to one of Houston's regulars, but he could make his big-league debut at some point in 2023.