Astros Executive Dana Brown Details How Top Prospect Will Factor Into 2026 Roster

The Houston Astros have a bit of a logjam when it comes to their top prospect and his position, but there may be more playing time available for him in 2026.

Aug 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown speaks with media before the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Minute Maid Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are working hard to build their roster, front office and coaching staff so that they can get back to the postseason in 2026. After missing out in 2025 for the first time in nearly a decade, it was clear that a few changes needed to be made to ensure they were able to get the most out of their current roster, while also working to improve upon it. Injuries were one of the major concerns, so adding more depth to the roster is always welcome.

With a farm system that has been less than optimal for a few years now due to going all-in in the seasons prior, giving those with high potential a chance at the MLB level will be critical. One of the names who should get some more time in 2026 is infield prospect Brice Matthews, the No. 1 prospect in the Astros system, according to MLB Pipeline.

With Jacob Melton being traded away, there is a pretty large gap between him and the next prospects on the list. Having him pan out would be huge for Houston next year, but that will require finding him a long-term position, as second base is still locked up by Jose Altuve for the time being. General manager Dana Brown had a few quotes about this recently, as well as how they plan to utilize Matthews.

What Did Dana Brown Have to Say About Brice Matthews?

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In a recent article from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, he provided a quote from Dana Brown regarding the situation with Matthews and how the team plans to get him involved in their lineup as much as possible. Brown said the following on the topic:

“He’s going to get some run in the outfield, but second base is still going to be his main position. We project he’ll turn the corner with the bat and get maybe some run in the outfield a little bit, as well.”

Hearing that he will be in the outfield is a bit intriguing, given that he has only played 64.2 innings in the outfield throughout his entire time in the minor leagues. With that in mind, he was enormously effective in those innings, posting 14 putouts with no errors, good for a perfect 1.000 fielding rate.

All of this playing time came in center field, specifically in Triple-A in 2025, so it is clear that this has been something the team has been considering for a while now, and with Melton gone, it should open up some more reps for him in the outfield.

Jacob Melton (acquired by TB) is a borderline Top 100 Prospect who shattered AAA with jaw-dropping power and strong plate discipline metrics. His MLB was not as fruitful, but there is a lot to dream on with these underlying stats pic.twitter.com/c7U3WAicEo

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) December 19, 2025

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