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On the eve of Opening Day, the Houston Astros appear to have all of their ducks in a row. Fans finally got confirmation that standout prospect Cam Smith will be part of the Astros Opening Day roster, and hopefully will be launching home runs at the outset of the regular season.
All that's left is for the official Opening Day roster announcement. Thankfully, Astros fans did receive some updates on the status of some key players and how they will factor into Houston's plans for the 2025 season.
Astros News: Brendan Rodgers will be part of the Opening Day roster
Lost in the shuffle of the annoucement that Smith will be part of the Astros Opening Day roster is the inclusion of Zach Dezenzo as the de facto backup first baseman. That means Cooper Hummel — who was assumed to steal a roster spot — was effectively cut.
The decision means that Houston needed a surefire infielder and the Astros ultimately decided to carry Brendan Rodgers. The veteran infielder was brought in earlier this offseason to fill such a role, but it's debatable as to how much playing time he will receive given the presence of utility wizard Mauricio Dubón.
Astros News: Jon Singleton officially released
Astros fans already knew that Jon Singleton wasn't making the Opening Day roster, but given his lengthy history with Houston, many still thought that he would remain with the organization in the minor leagues.
For the moment, that doesn't appear to be the case after Singleton was officially granted his release. There is still a chance that the left-handed hitting slugger returns on a minor-league deal if he can't find a path to the big leagues elsewhere, but it's abundantly clear that Houston doesn't envision him as part of their plans anymore.
Astros News: Luis Garcia seeking a second opinion for his arm troubles
Given that the Astros didn't make a meaningful addition to their rotation this offseason — outside of maybe Hayden Wesneski — Houston was banking on Luis Garcia getting healthy this season. While the initial updates on Garcia's Tommy John rehab were positive, the news has not been as rosy of late.
After experiencing a setback in camp, Garcia was shut down with elbow soreness and went through some medical tests. He and the team clearly got some news that they didn't like. According to a report from MLB's Joshua Koch, Garcia is seeking a second opinion and his return timeline is looking more and more unclear.