Astros News: Grim Luis Garcia injury update, Jose Altuve stumbles again, roster cuts

With exactly one week remaining until Opening Day, the Houston Astros are still sorting through the roster. Cam Smith homered for a fourth time this spring and his chances of breaking camp with the big league club remain high.

But not everything in Astros camp is peaches and cream. The team is still trying to decide who will be part of the Opening Day bullpen, and while manager Joe Espada has made a decision about this year's outfield, things still feel unsettled.

Astros News: Luis Garcia endures another setback

It feels like nearly every injury update involving Luis Garcia is a negative one, and the latest info coming out of Astros spring training is no different. According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Garcia was supposed to throw live BP today in West Palm Beach, but elbow soreness has since prevented that from happening.

According to Astros manager Joe Espada, Garcia will be examined by doctors before next steps are taken. This is troublesome update. Garcia is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and while soreness is not uncommon, the Houston faithful are hopeful this is not a dramatic setback in the rehab process.

Astros News: Jose Altuve drops another ball in the outfield

Espada and Jose Altuve can continue to beat the proverbial drum and think that everything is hunky dory, but Altuve has now dropped two routine fly balls in back to back games. No matter which way you slice it, that's not good. It's just spring training, and Altuve is still learning a new position. But at some point, he's going to be called upon to make those type of catches.

For all intents and purposes, Espada named Altuve the Astros starting left fielder. This had been the plan since spring training began, and while there've been some hiccups, the Astros really had no choice. One of Luis Guillorme, Mauricio Dubón, or Brendan Rodgers will likely take over at second base, while Altuve is left to fend for himself in left field.

Astros News: Houston cuts two more ahead of Opening Day

On Thursday, the Astros re-assigned catcher Collin Price to minor-league camp and optioned reliever Bennett Sousa to Triple-A Sugar Land. The Astros have a little more trimming to do in order to get the roster down to 26 before March 27th.

The Astros will need to place several players, including the aforementioned Garcia on the injured list before Opening Day. But on the plus side, Lance McCullers Jr. should only need a couple extra starts in Florida before rejoining the Astros active roster sometime in April.

More Houston Astros News and Rumors