Inside the Astros

Astros Manager Says There is One Caveat to Opening Day Lineup Moving Forward

There was one minor surprise in the Houston Astros' Opening Day lineup, but manager Joe Espada said it's not necessarily a sign of what the team's default lineup wil be moving forward.

Kyle Morton

Mar 2, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Brendan Rodgers (54) hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Mar 2, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Brendan Rodgers (54) hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Opening Day is finally here, and the Houston Astros announced their starting lineup for Thursday's contest at home at Daikin Park against the New York Mets.

The second base position was a source of some intrigue throughout spring training given the development that Jose Altuve will be making the move to left field on a full-time basis.

It was widely assumed that Mauricio Dubon would step in as the Astros' everyday second baseman, but Dubon's name is not on the Opening Day lineup card.

Instead, Brendan Rodgers is slated to play second.

Rodgers, a longtime member of the Colorado Rockies, signed a minor league deal with Houston during spring training and was named to the Opening Day roster on Wednesday.

Manager Joe Espada slotted him in the eighth spot in Thursday's lineup, but he is not committing to Rodgers holding the spot on a regular basis.

“Brendan Rodgers is starting today," Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. "That doesn’t mean he’s the starting second baseman.”

Rodgers, a 28-year-old Florida native, carved out a solid career with the Rockies, one in which the apex came in the form of a Gold Glove win in 2022.

He has produced a career slash line of .266/.316/.409, and launched a career-high 15 home runs in 2021.

It will be fascinating to see how he performs offensively outside the environment of Coors Field, but as a righty who finds success against left-handed pitching, Rodgers should welcome the presence of the Crawford Boxes in left field at Daikin Park.

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Kyle Morton
KYLE MORTON

Kyle Morton has covered various sports from amateur to professional level athletics. A graduate of Fordham University, Kyle specializes in MLB and NHL coverage while having previous bylines with SB Nation, The Hockey Writers, HighSchoolOT, and Sports World News. He spent time working the beat for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and is an avid fan of the NHL, MLB, NFL and college basketball. Enjoys the outdoors and hiking in his free time away from sports.

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