21-year old righty swinging 2B Jose Altuve is a little dude as he is only 5′5″, 170 pounds but he carries a big stick. Altuve has been batting second mostly this year and he is really giving the Astros’ offense a nice shot in the arm. Altuve has played in 19 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 28 for 74 (.378 avg, 1.008 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer, 10 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 76 games in his first two years with the Astros and he is 89 of 295 (.302 avg, .745 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 3 homers, 22 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Altuve is going to be a big part of the Astros’ massive rebuilding project in the coming years.

The Astros have placed 25-year old righty starting pitcher Kyle Weiland on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 22nd, due to right shoulder bursitis. Weiland has pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 0-3 with a 6.62 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He has given up 24 hits (5 homers) in his first 17 2/3 innings, so he hasn’t been missing many bats. The Astros hope a little time off will help Weiland both physically and mentally.

33-year old lefty starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is off to an outstanding start this year for the Astros. He has started 4 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 1-2 with a 1.42 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Rodriguez has only given up 20 hits and walked 6 batters in his first 25 1/3 innings as he has been on his game. Rodriguez has now pitched in 210 games (201 starts) in his first 8 years with the Astros and he is 74-77 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Astros need to start giving Rodriguez some run support moving forward, so he can get some wins.

25-year old lefty swinging CF Jordan Schafer played in 30 games for the Astros last year after he was acquired from the Braves in the Michael Bourn deal, and he was 26 of 106 (.245 avg, .625 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 1 homer, 6 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He is off to a rock solid start this year for the Astros. Schafer has played in 17 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 17 of 62 (.274 avg, .762 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. He has whiffed 22 times and that’s way too many, but he has also walked 10 times as he has been getting on base quite a bit at the top of the lineup for the Astros. They hope he can keep up the good work.

26-year old righty starting pitcher Lucas Harrell appears to like it in Houston. Harrell has started 3 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has now pitched in 9 games (5 starts) in his first two years with the Astros and he is 1-2 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Harrell was a longshot to win a job in the starting rotation, but he earned it in spring training and his success there has carried over into the regular season. The Astros hope that Harrell keeps up the good work.