Three Astros Who Face Uphill Battle to Earn Their Spots in Spring Training

Due to extensive injury histories and recent underperformance, these Astros enter spring training with little margin for error.

Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Spring training is an important time for every player on an MLB team, no matter where their career resides. Some pitchers who are a surefire rotation spot are tweaking a few things to get better, maybe add a pitch or use a pitch more than others.

Everyday players might be tweaking a batting stance. Prospects with an invite to spring training are doing everything they can to perform well in an attempt to make the Major League roster.

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What's also important for certain players is finding a way to get back to a time where they were dominant. Injuries and underperformance have hindered their playing time in recent years but the organization is willing to give them another chance because they believe in them.

But it's up to the player to rise to the challenge. For the Houston Astros, those players are Lance McCullers Jr., Spencer Arrighetti, and Zach Dezenzo.

McCullers On His Third Last Leg

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. walks in the dugout | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Believe it or not, 2026 will be McCullers' 12th season in the league. He's been on the Houston Astros roster since 2015, the year the Astros began a series long mainstay, appearing in the next nine of 11 postseasons.

Throughout his tenure, McCullers is a two-time World Series champion and an All-Star. Fans recall the infamous 24 straight curveballs he threw against the New York Yankees in the 2017 ALCS to close out Game 7 and head to the World Series.

The 2021 season marked the peak of his career. Going 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA striking out 185 batters over 162.1 innings, McCullers became the Astros’ de facto ace. With Zack Greinke aging and Framber Valdez still establishing himself at the Major League level, he helped anchor an injury-riddled rotation that carried Houston to 95 wins en route to another postseason run.

Aside from these accomplishments, McCullers has spent most of his career sidelined with injuries, weakening his availability and performance on the mound. Before the 2021 season, the Tampa native signed a 5-year, $85 million extension, with 2026 being his final year.

Throughout this extension, he's only pitched a total of 52 games and did not pitch a single inning in two of the five years. It's been both a rough place mentally for the longtime Astro and financially for the organization.

Fans have gone as far as sending him death threats, inappropriately signaling their frustration. The media have speculated for a long time whether or not the Astros will find a team to trade him or bite the bullet and release their current longest tenured pitcher.

Nevertheless, McCullers is still on the team and expects a healthy 2026 on the final year of his deal. The goal is to be in the starting rotation; his seniority above all deserves it. Unfortunately the injuries tell a different story.

The bare minimum for him is pitching an inning or two while staying healthy. Other than that, there's no upside to keeping him. It's why his upcoming spring training is the most pivotal moment of his career.

Spencer Arrighetti Needs To Bounce Back

The rookie season for Spencer Arrighetti in 2024 was a promising start to his career. Going 7-13 with a 4.53 ERA in 145 innings across 28 starts aren't pretty to look at, but rookies tend to have some growing pains with flashes of dominance, showcasing a glimpse of their potential. Examples in his first couple months of his young career include eight strikeouts over six shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners and ten strikeouts over seven shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies.

Towards the tail end of 2024 he improved, with a dominant August, including back-to-back shutout outings against two championship contenders in the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles. He tallied 17 strikeouts in 13.2 innings during that span.

Arrighetti is capable of near-top-of-the-rotation talent. Early on in 2025 it showed during his first start, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the New York Mets. After a rough second start allowing five runs against the Minnesota Twins, his 2025 season came to a screeching halt. A freak accident thumb injury sidelined the 26-year-old for four months.

Upon returning back in August, he struggled, posting a 5.26 ERA allowing 15 runs in 25.2 innings. Then his elbow flared up, causing him to miss the rest of the 2025 season. His sophomore slump is a season he'd like to forget, and focus on being healthy and productive as a starter in the 2026 season.

However, with the Astros acquiring several arms in Tatsuya Imai, Kai-Wei Teng, Mike Burrows, Nate Pearson, and Ryan Weiss along with current starters Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown, Arrighetti will need to compete in spring training more than ever to earn a slot in the rotation. He's expected to fully recover from his elbow inflammation before he reports to West Palm Beach, FL

Zach Dezenzo and The Logjam On The Field

Houston Astros left fielder Zach Dezenzo reacts after hitting a double | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Like Arrighetti, Zach Dezenzo made his major league debut in 2024, playing in just 19 games batting .242 with 2 homers and a .678 OPS. He spent the rest of 2024 in the minors but made the opening day roster in 2025 due to a scorching spring training. In 18 games, Dezenzo batted .391 with a 1.070 OPS.

Spring training did not translate to the 2025 regular season. While Dezenzo produced similar numbers to 2024, he wasn't healthy, playing in just 34 games.

After a TMJ sprain to his jaw in March, the injuries continued to pill up, with a capsule sprain on his left hand that had him sidelined from June to September. The 25-year-old didn't even get a chance to return to the Majors. During a rehab assignment in Triple-A recovering from his capsule strain, he suffered a right elbow strain while practicing in the outfield, ending his season.

As of November, Dezenzo is fully healthy. Still, time has passed, and several Astros prospects made their debut and took over positions in the outfield. As of today, the starting outfield for opening day will consist of Jake Meyers, Zach Cole, and Cam Smith, with both Cole and Smith being rookies last year.

Infielder Brice Matthews, who also made the show last season, reportedly shagged fly balls in center field. He is also competing for an opening day spot. There's also Jesus Sanchez. Unless he gets traded, Sanchez will platoon corner outfield spots for Smith and Cole. Nick Allen, the Mauricio Dubon replacement, might also be in the mix.

Dezenzo can also play infield, but that's backed up as well. Isaac Paredes, Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, and Christian Walker occupy all positions, leaving him becoming the odd man out.

Which Astro Faces The Most Uphill Battle?

Ultimately, Dezenzo likely faces the most challenging feat of the three listed to make the opening day roster. McCullers has notoriety, Arrighetti can be a long reliever at worst, but due to roster inflexibility, It's going to be a tall task for Dezenzo to make a statement in spring training and compete for a slot in the everyday roster. He did it before in 2025. Can he do it again?