Veteran right-hander Rafael Montero has made the Astros’ Opening Day roster, reports Ari Alexander of Houston’s KPRC-2. Lefty Steven Okert has also made the cut, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. Righty Luis Contreras has also made the club, per Alexander. Lefty Bryan King will also break camp, while non-roster righty Logan VanWey will head to Triple-A. McTaggart adds that first baseman Jon Singleton has been informed that he will not make the team. Both Montero and Okert were non-roster invitees in camp, meaning both will need to be selected to the 40-man roster.
Yesterday’s release of Ben Gamel opened one vacancy on the 40-man for the Astros, and it seems another will be created by designating Singleton for assignment, trading him or releasing him. Singleton is on the 40-man roster but out of minor league options, so one way or another he’ll be coming off between now and Opening Day. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, he could potentially remain with the organization by accepting an outright assignment — but he’d also have the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency.
Montero, 34, is in the final season of an ill-fated three-year, $34.5MM deal signed when the Astros were operating without a general manager in place. Owner Jim Crane and advisor Jeff Bagwell were reported to be running baseball operations at the time, having parted ways with James Click following the 2022 season. That period produced regrettable agreements with both Montero and the since-released Jose Abreu, to whom the ’Stros still owe $19.5MM this season.
Montero’s deal quickly blew up in similar fashion to that of Abreu. He pitched to a 5.08 ERA in 2023, allowing an average of 1.47 homers per nine frames along the way, and was tagged for a 4.70 mark in 38 1/3 innings in 2024, proving even more homer-prone that season. Houston passed Montero through waivers last summer, and he opted to accept a minor league assignment despite the fact that he could’ve elected free agency and retained his entire salary.
The hard-throwing Montero will now return to Houston’s bullpen, at least for the start of the season. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and seven walks with 10 strikeouts in 8 2/3 spring innings. Statistically speaking, Montero didn’t have the best spring of Astros NRIs (particularly with regard to that 18.4% walk rate), but the Astros are paying him $11.5MM regardless, so they’ll try to recoup some value and hope he can trend closer to his outstanding 2022 form.
Okert, 33, is another story entirely. He signed a minor league deal back in November and promptly gave the ’Stros no choice but to carry him on the roster. In 11 spring frames, Okert held opponents scoreless. The veteran southpaw allowed only four baserunners — two hits, two walks — and fanned 17 of the 36 batters he faced (47.2%). His minor league deal carries a $1.2MM base salary.
Okert was a productive reliever with the Marlins in 2022-23 but struggled through 35 1/3 innings with the Twins in 2024. His lone season in Minnesota resulted in a 5.09 ERA with a 20.6% strikeout rate (second-lowest of his career) and 10% walk rate. On top of a diminished strikeout rate and shaky command, Okert yielded a career-high 1.53 HR/9.
The 28-year-old Contreras, like Okert, made it hard for the Astros to leave him off the roster. He’s already on the 40-man and could’ve been optioned, but he rattled off 9 2/3 shutout frames during camp, fanning 32.5% of his opponents. His 10% walk rate could stand to come down, but if Contreras can continue to miss bats at that level, he could get by with a higher-than average rate of dishing out free passes. He made his big league debut for Houston last year but was tagged for six runs in six innings. His strong spring will earn him another look, though.
As for Singleton, this wave of decisions will cost him his 40-man roster spot. The former top prospect returned to the Astros in 2023 after a brief appearance with the Brewers. That MLB comeback came on the heels of an eight-year absence. He wound up serving as Houston’s primary first baseman in 2024, after the club cut Abreu. Singleton hit .234/.321/.386 and popped 13 home runs but struggled with the glove and on the basepaths. He hit just .171/.239/.195 in 46 spring plate appearances. Those struggles, plus the offseason signing of Christian Walker to play first base, left Singleton with a tough path to the roster and a limited role if he’d made it.
Espada’s singleton obsession must be over
Singleton’s career must be over.
Whitman, Price & Haddad!
Sounds like a law firm…
i think Astros actually improved believe it or not. Still have Alvarez, Altuve, Pena and Diaz, and upgraded 1st base big time. 2nd base gonna be fine and no matter who you put in the Outfield it couldn’t be worse than last year’s outfield since Tucker was hurt most of the year. Just need the pitching to stay healthy and they should have plenty of offense.
“…the Outfield it couldn’t be worse than last year’s outfield since Tucker was hurt most of the year.”
Sure, it can. Have you Altuve’s defensive misadventures? There’s no saying whether that will continue, but it’s not a good sign so far. If he ends up costing them a bunch of runs, it nullifies his bat.
Good point and hopefully he’s not that bad. Astros are pretty consistently scoring 5 runs per game, so as long as an Altuve error isn’t a bases clearing double once a week, then it shouldn’t cost too many games.
I agree. It’s gonna be pretty bad. He probably ends up back at 2B by end of season.
Is Cam Smith expected to make the cut?
Dana Brown is noncommittal, Espada said he’s not afraid at all to put him on the big roster. I would say Dezenzo made the team, and it’s possible Cam Smith did too. No official word yet
Looking at the roster options we pretty much know Diaz/Walker/Dubon/Paredes/Pena/Altuve/Meyers/McCormick/Alvarez/Caratini/Hummel have all made the roster. It’s possible the last 2 spots go to 2 of Smith, Dezenzo, or Brendan Rodgers
I like Hummel, but I keep getting the feeling Smith, Dezenzo and Brandon Rodgers. Tonight’s exhibition lineup against Sugarland could be opening days lineup:
Altuve LF, Paredes 3B, Alvarez DH, Diaz C, Pena SS, Smith RF, Dezenzo 1B, Rodgers 2B, Meyers CF
Even with the horrible contract, I’m stunned they went with Montero and not VanWey. It’s not like they had much issue carrying Montero’s salary in the minors last year when they DFAd him.
VanWey looked phenomenal this spring, Montero looked just like he has for the past two years.
This management team’s obsession with Montero is bordering on ridiculous. The money is sunk, why give him the opportunity to lose you games or not be able to keep you within striking distance? Why waste potential big league opportunities for younger players that may develop into something special? They finally saw the light with Abreu but keep the blinders on with Montero? I do not understand it in the least.
It’s an interesting case of loyalty by both sides. Crane overpaid Montero as a thank you for a second ring and then Montero returned the favor by staying in the organization when he could have just quit baseball and pocketed a fortune. I like the move to give the pitcher one more chance. Give him 10 appearances and reassess.
If we model roster value as a function of marginal win contribution per dollar spent, adjusted for roster spot scarcity, Montero’s spring stats (10 K’s, 7 BB’s in 8.2 IP) and track record suggest a near-zero or negative net value at $11.5MM, while Singleton’s .234/.321/.386 in 2024, even with a weak spring, offers positive utility at a fraction of the cost—yet the 40-man limit forces a binary choice that ignores this calculus. Okert’s inclusion (scoreless spring, $1.2MM) fits a merit-based model, but Montero’s retention reveals a deeper flaw: MLB teams lack a dynamic framework to weigh sunk costs against opportunity costs in real time. If they did, they’d see that releasing Montero, eating the $11.5MM, and keeping Singleton (or another low-cost performer) could boost win probability by freeing a spot for a higher-upside arm like VanWey, whose Triple-A assignment hints at untapped potential. No one’s discussing this because the discourse fixates on player stats, not the roster’s systemic math—yet this distortion likely skews decisions across the league, costing teams wins they don’t even know they’re losing.
Can you record this and send it to me , so I can listen to it on nights that I can’t sleep?
They did release Montero but he honorably chose to figure things out in AAA
Who has a better chance of seeing the majors again, Singleton or Jose Abreu?
Definitely Singleton
Singleton by virtue of age. Abreu is basically free and even the penny pinching owners didn’t bite
Singleton gone does not surprise me. We have Walker and maybe Dezenzo. Montero does not either. Last year of his contract. Not really much else.
Of players vying for a spot
Outfield Chas could be out and Cam or Dezenzo be RF. But Dezenzo can do LF too I saw. If Cam makes team whether will be RF or even 3b some. Brendan May make 2B. Short might be an option for infield. Meyers most likely CF.
The Astros have to pay Montero whether they play him or not, so letting him pitch and hoping he pitches well enough to help them win games, or at least make him a trade chip at the deadline is worth it to them
I think he can be serviceable. Seems humbled and ready to work.