Houston’s Wild Card roster has a fresh face to it, even with October fixtures like Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez ready to take the field. Thirteen of the 26 Astros selected for the American League Wild Card Series have not appeared in a postseason game, a group that includes five position players and eight pitchers. They will open a best-of-three set against the White Sox on Tuesday at Daikin Park, with first pitch set for 4 p.m. CT. Game 1 will air at 5 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN.
The Astros chose a 12-pitcher, 14-position-player alignment for the series, leaning on their established October core while making room for several newcomers. Altuve is set to make his 106th postseason appearance, adding to a playoff résumé that includes 27 home runs, second all-time in postseason history. Alvarez has already played 60 October games, while shortstop Jeremy Peña, the 2022 World Series MVP, enters with 26. Catcher Christian Vázquez brings 31 postseason games and two World Series rings to a catching tandem with Yainer Diaz.
The most significant roster decision came on the pitching side, where rookie right-hander Ethan Pecko was left off while managing a lingering injury. Pecko had taken starts during Houston’s late-season push, but his absence created a place for Tatsuya Imai on the Wild Card roster.
Houston also added infielder Raynel Delgado as extra coverage around the diamond. That flexibility could allow the Astros to use Altuve at designated hitter and shift Alvarez to left field when the matchup calls for it. Joey Loperfido won a roster spot over LaMonte Wade Jr., despite receiving only one at-bat for Houston over the final two months of the regular season.
Left-handed reliever Steven Okert did not make the cut. Okert threw a bullpen session Monday as he continued his return from a hamstring injury, but Houston will begin the series without him.
Astros Wild Card Series roster
| Group | Players |
|---|---|
| Pitchers (12) | Bryan Abreu, A.J. Blubaugh, Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, Josh Hendrickson, Tatsuya Imai, Bryan King, Peter Lambert, Bennett Sousa, Miguel Ullola, Logan VanWey, Hayden Wesneski |
| Catchers (2) | Yainer Diaz, Christian Vázquez |
| Infielders (6) | Nick Allen, Jose Altuve, Raynel Delgado, Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Peña, Christian Walker |
| Outfielders (6) | Yordan Alvarez, Joey Loperfido, Cam Smith, Lucas Spence, Taylor Trammell, Nelson Velázquez |
For Houston, the series will turn on how quickly its October newcomers settle into the moment—and how much the old hands can steady a clubhouse that still has plenty of playoff mileage in it.
