Altuve leaves Boras to rejoin former agency

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve recently left agent Scott Boras and signed with Scott Pucino and Wil Polidor of Octagon -- the agency that originally represented him before he switched to Boras about a year ago.

Maxwell ditches brace, making progress

Astros outfielder Justin Maxwell, who's been out nearly a month with a fractured left hand, is no longer wearing a brace and continues to make good progress. He hit 15 balls off a tee on Monday and took 30 more swings from soft toss.

On first day, Ryan gets up to speed with Astros

Monday, the first official day on the job for new Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan, included mundane tasks like getting the keys to the building, finding his office and getting his computer set up. He also wasted no time in rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty.

Astros ride Dominguez's bat, glove past Royals

Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez started a terrific double play in the sixth inning and belted a decisive three-run homer to help the Astros earn a 6-5 win over the Royals on Monday night in the series opener at Minute Maid Park.

Norris rested, ready for turn against Royals

Astros right-hander Bud Norris feels good pitching at home and will take the mound on Tuesday -- eight days since his last start -- against Wade Davis and the Royals in the second of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

Harrell outdueled as Astros blanked by Pirates

With an effective sinker, Lucas Harrell held the Pirates to four hits and one run in seven innings Sunday afternoon, but the Pirates made a fifth-inning home run by Pedro Alvarez stand up for a 1-0 win over the Astros at PNC Park.

Cedeno scratched due to sinus problems, virus

Astros infielder Ronny Cedeno was scratched from the starting lineup Sunday with sinus problems and a stomach virus. That forced Marwin Gonzalez into action as the starting shortstop, even though he's nursing a sore back from a collision in Saturday's game.

Crane, Luhnow attend Astros game after scouting trip

Astros owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow attended Saturday's and Sunday's games against the Pirates at PNC Park in a surprise trip that came about after both men scouted the University of North Carolina's game against Virginia in Chapel Hill, N.C., earlier Saturday.

Singleton likely to start season with Quad Cities

Astros top prospect Jonathan Singleton, who is nearing the end of his 50-game suspension after violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for a drug of abuse -- his second positive test -- will begin his season sometime next week at Class A Quad Cities before moving to Triple-A Oklahoma City, general manager Jeff Luhnow said Sunday.

Close call: Astros pull out victory vs. Bucs in the 11th

Catcher Jason Castro scored the game-winner when he slid past the tag attempt of Pirates catcher Russell Martin on a fielder's choice by Matt Dominguez to give the Astros a hard-fought 4-2 win at PNC Park.

Astros to hold first Draft workout on Sunday

The Astros will hold the first of four regional workouts of high school and college players on Sunday in anticipation of next month's First-Year Player Draft. Sunday's workout will be held in the Los Angeles area, with about 20 prospects invited to attend.

Astros reinstate Altuve from bereavement list

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates, marking his first action since Monday's game in Detroit.

Thin bench haunts Astros in Friday's loss

Had the Astros had their full complement of players on Friday, Jimmy Paredes wouldn't have even been in the game in the ninth inning. Paredes committed an error when he collided with second baseman Jake Elmore and caused him to drop the ball, allowing the Pirates to score the winning run.

Astros coaches discuss error with Paredes

Astros bench coach Eduardo Perez and first-base coach Dave Clark both had conversations with outfielder Jimmy Paredes on Saturday, a day after he crashed into teammate Jake Elmore and forced him to drop a ball that allowed the Pirates to score the winning run in the ninth inning.

Astros celebrate renovation of Little League fields

The Astros celebrated the opening of three youth baseball fields on Saturday in southeast Houston, part of the team's charity mission to promote the sport in disadvantaged areas of the city.

Error costs Astros, as Pirates walk off with win

Astros right fielder Jimmy Paredes crashed into second baseman Jake Elmore just as the ball was about to hit his glove, knocking him and the ball to the ground and allowing the winning run to score from third base and give the Pirates a stunning 5-4 win at PNC Park on Friday.

Members of organization impressed by Ryan hire

There have been no shortage of good things said about Reid Ryan, introduced Friday as the Astros president of business operations, from those who know him well.

Nolan proud of son's new opportunity

Nolan Ryan spoke as a proud parent. He spoke as a baseball man, too. He thought Astros owner Jim Crane got it right in naming his oldest son, Reid Ryan, 41, the team's president of business operations on Friday.

Astros get it right, hire one of their own

Reid Ryan represents a connection to the Astros' past while offering an enthusiastic vision for its future. He's Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan's oldest son, and that means plenty around these parts.

Norris given two extra days to rest back

Righty Bud Norris, who left his most recent start, Monday in Detroit, with lower back spasms, could have taken his normal turn in the rotation on Sunday, but Astros manager Bo Porter decided to give him two extra days and push him back until Tuesday at home against the Royals.

Grossman excited to play against former team

Outfielder Robbie Grossman, who was acquired by the Astros in last year's trade that sent Wandy Rodriguez to the Pirates, was drafted in the sixth round by the Pirates in 2008 out of Cy-Fair High School in Houston and spent four years in the Pirates organization, reaching Double-A Altoona last year.

Altuve to rejoin Astros on Saturday

All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve will be in Saturday's lineup against the Pirates after missing three games on the bereavement list following the death of his grandmother in Venezuela.

Astros owner Crane purchases Double-A team

Astros owner Jim Crane has a long-term vision to someday take over ownership of the majority of the Astros' Minor League affiliates. While there are no guarantees he will attain that lofty goal, he can check one off the list: Double-A Corpus Christi.

Reid Ryan introduced as Astros president

The news conference to introduce Reid Ryan as president of business operations of the Houston Astros on Friday was technically labeled as "introductory," but in essence, the 41-year-old offspring of a Texas baseball legend already knew half of the people in the room.

Ryan's hiring is a home run for Astros

Reid Ryan's hiring as team president is a stroke of genius by Astros owner Jim Crane. It makes sense on so many levels that it's difficult to know where to start.

Astros practicing diligence in advance of Draft

There is no clear-cut No. 1 choice in the First-Year Player Draft for the second year in a row, which means the Astros are putting in extra man hours and doing even more homework to make sure they make the right selection when they make the top pick next month.

Mock Draft: A first look at the first round

Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray, Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant figure to be the first three picks in the June 6-8 First-Year Player Draft.

Norris' Sunday start still up in the air

Two days after tweaking his back throwing warmup pitches prior to the sixth inning of his start in Monday's 7-2 loss to Detroit, Astros starter Bud Norris' status is still in question for Sunday's series finale against the Pirates.

It was a Barnes burner, but Astros prevail

The finale belonged to the backups. Carlos Corporan's go-ahead double put the Astros in the lead for good, and after a drama-filled bottom of the ninth, Brandon Barnes capped off Houston's first win in Detroit since 2000 with a game-saving catch in right-center.

Source: Reid Ryan to be named president of Astros

Reid Ryan, the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and president and CEO of Ryan-Sanders Baseball, will be named the next president of the Astros, a source confirmed to MLB.com on Thursday.