3 Astros who will make the 2025 Opening Day roster but won't last the season

The Houston Astros are busy getting ready for the 2025 season down at their spring training complex in West Palm Beach, but fans are eager to see what the team is going to look like once the regular season begins.

There have been a lot of changes to the Astros roster during the offseason and while Kyle Tucker and others will be missed, it will also be exciting to see what players like Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker can do during the upcoming season.

There is no suspense when it comes to Walker and Paredes, however. Those two are mortal locks to make the big league roster. However, there are a few players who might make the Astros Opening Day roster, but will be on very thin ice after that.

3 who will make the 2025 Astros Opening Day roster but won't last the season

Rather than selecting the last few fringe-players who'll make the roster only to be jettisoned a week or two into the season, let's look at three who are likely to make the team out of spring training, but could get axed one way or another before the end of the year. General manager Dana Brown is under a lot of pressure after the chaos of this offseason and is clearly unafraid to move on from guys who don't perform. Here players who could fit the bill.

Jake Meyers, Astros OF

Meyers probably should have been on the hot seat already, but the Astros have some weird fascination with him. His defense in center field is really good, but three straight seasons with a sub 88 wRC+ is tough to swallow.

Complicating matters is the fact that Houston's outfield, as constituted now, is going to struggle. The team still seems to think that Chas McCormick will hit which is a risky bet, but the Astros don't seem to have that same confidence in Meyers anymore, nor should they. Trading Meyers at the deadline for an actual need to a team that is already out of it feels a very real possibility in 2025.

Jon Singleton, Astros IF

The only reason that Singleton has been gainfully employed by the Astros this long is because of former first baseman Jose Abreu's descent into the void. While there is pop in Singleton's bat, the hit tool is decidedly lacking and almost anyone on the roster would be a better defender at first base.

Now that the Astros have Walker in the fold, it's hard to understand what role Singleton could play in 2025. Walker will get the vast majority of the playing time at first base with the likes of Victor Caratini, Mauricio Dubon, or Yainer Diaz filling in as needed. Houston will probably carry Singleton on the Opening Day roster since they seem to covet lefty bats right now, but fans should not expect that to last long.

Rafael Montero, Astros RHP

Finally, we come to the most obvious contract mistake on the Astros' roster. Since signing a three-year, $34.5 million deal before the 2023 season, Montero has "rewarded" Houston by posting a 4.94 ERA in 109 appearances. Montero was so bad last season that the Astros thought the best course of action was to send him down to the minors.

Trying to recoup some value while he was owed a lot of money made sense last year. However, this is his last year of team control and all bets are off. Unless he is a total disaster this spring — which is entirely possible — Houston will give him one last chance to earn the $11.5 million he's owed. But based on how the last two seasons have gone, it's unlikely Montero will be able to convince the Astros not cut their losses.

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