These Astros Top Prospects Drawing Concern After Slow Start to 2026

It's not hard to be concerned about the progress of these two Houston Astros prospects.

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With the big league club faltering this season, some Houston Astros fans may switch their gaze to the minor leagues for reinforcements.

The Astros are flush with young prospects, but not many are big-league ready. Now that the minor league season is well underway, let's take a look at which top prospects are struggling to this point in Houston's system.

Walker Janek, C, Double-A

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Walker Janek is the Astros' top catching prospect by a long shot. The next highest-ranked catcher in the organization was drafted last season out of high school and has played just one professional game to this point. That doesn't mean Janek is the only catcher who can be promoted, but that's probably not on his mind right now.

Houston's No. 4 prospect has batted .135/.179/.216 through 19 games this season and hit just one homer. His biggest flaw thus far has been his BB/K ratio. Through 74 at-bats, he's struck out 28 times and walked just four.

He wasn't an elite hitter at High-A Asheville last season, but he certainly held his own. His .263 batting average and 30 stolen bases certainly pop out. Another concern for Janek is his defense behind the plate. He's made five errors through 13 games, one passed ball, and caught just six of 38 stolen base attempts.

If he doesn't turn it around quickly, he may find himself back in Asheville for the time being. Janek has a high ceiling, especially offensively, but has yet to catch his stride this season.

Ethan Frey OF, High-A

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This time last season, Ethan Frey was an elite hitter in the heart of the LSU Tigers offense. The Louisiana native was a primary starter for the Tigers just one of his three collegiate seasons, but broke out in his final season. His .331 average and 1.061 OPS earned him the right to become the Astros 3rd round pick, and he carried that success straight into Single-A.

With Fayetteville last season, Frey batted .330 with a .904 OPS through just under a month of work. His breakout 2025 campaign paved the way for him to become Houston's No. 3 prospect, but he hasn't lived up to that yet this season.

Through 23 games, he's batting .215/.321/.290 with one homer, 13 RBI and 29 strikeouts. He's walking at an elite clip, 14%, but his 27.9% strikeout rate is concerning. On Tuesday night, Frey posted his third multi-hit game of the season, and first since April 22.

Entering Wednesday, he's struck out three-times in one game three times as well. It's not time to panic, especially after his other-worldly 2025 season, but Frey hasn't gotten off to a smoking-start either.