Houston Astros' 2023 Projected Starting Lineup, Pitching Rotation, Bullpen

The 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros added 2020 American League MVP Jose Abreu to their roster, while losing Yuli Gurriel and Justin Verlander. Here's a look at our projected starting lineup, pitching rotation and bullpen for the Astros for the 2023 MLB season.

The Houston Astros are less than two months away from Opening Day.

Over the winter, the Astros said goodbye to Justin Verlander and signed 2020 American League MVP Jose Abreu. They also re-signed left fielder and designated hitter Michael Brantley. The club still has time to re-sign first baseman Yuli Gurriel, who remains unsigned.

Here's a look at our projected starting lineup, pitching rotation and bullpen for the Astros in 2023, featuring 2022 slash lines and statistics:

STARTING LINEUP

C Martin Maldonado .186/.248/.600

1B Jose Abreu .304/.378/.824

2B Jose Altuve .300/.387/.920

3B Alex Bregman .259/.366/.820

SS Jeremy Pena .253/.289/.715

LF Michael Brantley .288/.370/.785

CF Chas McCormick .245/.332/.739

RF Kyle Tucker .257/.330/.808

DH Yordan Alvarez .306/.406/1.019

PITCHING ROTATION

1) Framber Valdez: 31 starts, 201.1 IP, 17-6, 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 2.9 SO/W, 137 ERA+

2) Lance McCullers Jr.: 8 starts, 47.2 IP, 4-2, 2.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 2.27 SO/W, 171 ERA+

3) Cristian Javier: 30 starts, 148.2 IP, 11-9, 2.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 3.73 SO/W, 152 ERA+

4) Luis Garcia: 28 starts, 157.1 IP, 15-8, 3.72 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 3.34 SO/W, 104 ERA+

5) Jose Urquidy: 28 starts, 164.1 IP, 13-8, 3.94 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 3.53 SO/W, 98 ERA+

OTHER ROTATION OPTIONS (THAT COULD APPEAR IN THE BULLPEN)

Hunter Brown: 2 starts, 20.1 IP, 2-0, 0.89 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 3.14 SO/W, 443 ERA+

BULLPEN

Ryan Pressly: 3-3, 2.98 ERA, 50 appearances, 33 saves, 48.1 IP

Ryne Stanek: 2-1, 1.15 ERA, 59 appearances, 1 save, 54.2 IP

Hector Neris: 6-4, 3.72 ERA, 70 appearances, 3 saves, 65.1 IP

Phil Maton: 0-2, 3.84 ERA, 67 appearances, 0 saves, 65.2 IP

Rafael Montero: 5-2, 2.37 ERA, 71 appearances, 14 saves, 48.1 IP

Bryan Abreu: 4-0, 1.94 ERA, 55 appearances, 2 saves, 60.1 IP

JP France (Rookie)

Here's a look at the Houston Astros' schedule for the 2023 regular season.

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