Astros May Have a Lineup Problem Heading Into 2026

The Houston Astros are facing a retooling phase as they aim to return to the postseason. Injuries and inconsistent offense plagued their 2025 season, but at full strength, the Astros can certainly push back into contention.

Houston bolstered their starting rotation with the additions of Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows. Pairing those two with Hunter Brown deepens their pitching staff, but the offense will be brought into question. Can they do enough to get the Astros back to the playoffs?

Astros' Depth Could be Tested This Season

Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez scores a run. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Bradford Doolittle of espn.com handed out ratings for each team's lineups and graded them on eight different categories. The Astros ranked 13th on the list with an 82.1 rating.

Doolittle writes, "Healthy versions of Peña and Alvarez would paper over a lot of dings, but this is a shaky profile for Houston's attack. Paper-thin, slow, overly aggressive and dependent on batting average."

It's a rather brutal assessment of Joe Espada's lineup, which features Jeremy Peña, Jose Altuve, and Yordan Alvarez at the top. Houston's depth appears to be its biggest issue, as evidenced by its F rating from Doolittle.

The Astros parted ways with some of their depth players in the offseason, including Mauricio Dubón, Jesús Sánchez, and Victor Caratini. The front office did little to address the losses except for reuniting with outfielder Joey Loperfido. If Houston is ravaged with injuries once again, they could struggle to produce enough offense to stay competitive.

Astros Have to Change Plate Approach

Houston Astros designated hitter Jose Altuve throws his bat. — Houston Astros' Jose Altuve throws his bat. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Houston has notoriously been a low-strikeout team, and while that theme continued last year, they struggled to generate walks. They finished 26th in total walks with 471. That has to change.

So far in three spring training games, the Astros have drawn 29 walks. Per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, Espada said, "We're trying to get back to our identity. That's who we are. We are really good when we see a ton of pitches and we control the at-bats and we control the tempo of the game."

It's good progress and would go a long way towards improving the offense. It starts at the top of the lineup. Alvarez's health could be the biggest storyline of the season. The Astros can only go as far as their best hitter can take them.

The pressure will continue to mount on Alvarez and Altuve to shoulder the production, while guys like Peña and Carlos Correa support. There is enough talent in this lineup to push Houston as a contender in the A.L. West, but if that depth gets tested, trouble may lie ahead for the Astros in 2026.