Astros: Who would be on team’s 30-man roster for 2020?

It’s becoming more and more likely that we’ll actually see our beloved Houston Astros suited up in 2020, and teams could have 30-man rosters.

With more and more talk about baseball starting soon — YAY!!! — what this will look like in 2020 is being discussed and ironed out. And while the minute details are being tossed about, it’s just good to hear that the advent of baseball in 2020 is really going to actually happen, albeit not in a way that fans are accustomed. Discussions of a shortened season involve the possibility of a 30-man roster, so who would those 30 players be for the Houston Astros?

Word is the season will start in early July and will consist of approximately 80-85 games. And while it’s not like the initial 26-man roster was already set in stone, an extra four players could likely solidify the first initial 26. On the other hand, having four additional players could just confuse the situation even further. Will we carry an extra pitcher or two? Or will the extra four spots all be filled with position players?

We all know at least 18 players who will be on the roster, including position players, the rotation, and the bullpen. But just in case it’s been too long and you need help to remember them, here is a list of those players:

• C – Martin Maldonado
• C – Dustin Garneau
• 1st – Yuli Gurriel
• 2nd – José Altuve
• SS – Carlos Correa
• 3rd – Alex Bregman
• Utility – Aledmys Diaz
• RF – Josh Reddick
• CF – George Springer
• LF – Michael Brantley
• DH – Yordan Alvarez
• SP – Justin Verlander
• SP – Zack Greinke
• SP – Lance McCullers, Jr.
• RP – Joe Smith
• RP – Ryan Pressly
• RP – Brad Peacock
• RP – Roberto Osuna

Five of the remaining eight spots of the original 26-man roster are likely to be:

• Myles Straw
• Kyle Tucker
• José Urquidy
• Austin Pruitt
• Josh James

This is where the roster truly becomes a toss-up.

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It’s likely the remaining three spots will be relief pitchers, but that’s questionable considering who is left to choose from. Maybe we carry extra position players to keep everyone fresh.

Could these remaining spots belong to:

• Abraham Toro
• Jack Mayfield
• Garrett Stubbs

All of them would all be great to see on the roster again this year.  Right?

Or, going with the original thought that these remaining spots on the 26-man are likely taken by pitchers, maybe we see on the roster:

• Chris Devenski
• Framber Valdez
• Cy Sneed

With the possibly of the roster being extended to 30, maybe it could include all six of these guys, plus Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, or maybe even Nick Tanielu.

It’s been an eon since we’ve seen a live game. It’s hard to believe that we’ve already missed such a large chunk of the season because of COVID-19, as May 17th would have been the Astros’ 47th game of the season.

The only thing that is for sure is that baseball will be played in 2020. At least, that is what we’re being led to believe. Other than that, we can discuss the roster situation ad infinitum. The possible roster combinations are somewhat endless, and I would love to hear who are your hopefuls to be on this extended roster.