2 Astros Hitters That Impressed During Opening Weekend

Joey Loperfido returned to Houston after being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Jesús Sánchez. He appeared in all four games, but made two starts in left field. On Opening Day, he delivered a 2-4 performance.

In his first at-bat of the season, he swung at a first-pitch fastball from Jose Soriano and hit a single to left field. He would later collect a two-out double off of Soriano in the sixth inning. In game three, Loperfido was asked to pinch hit, and singled to right field, eventually scoring the game tying run.

Then, in the fourth game of the series, he came through with a double. Again, the sample size is small, but Loperfido is taking advantage of his opportunities. He's especially effective against right-handed pitching and could earn more plate appearances for Espada moving forward.

Christian Walker

Christian Walker entered the 2026 season with a lot of pressure. The 35-year-old arrived in Houston after a long tenure with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but struggled quite a bit across the board. He saw an increase in strikeouts (177) and a decrease in batting average (.238), on-base percentage (.297), and walks (40) in comparison to his 2024 numbers.

So far, Walker may have figured something out. He's started at first base in all four games and is 4-13 with three doubles and three RBIs. His timing looks much better, and he's only struck out one time. Walker delivered a game-tying double in the fifth inning on Sunday.

If Walker can turn in a productive season, that will elevate the ceiling of the Astros' offense. Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Jeremy Peña will spearhead this lineup, and the majority of the production will come from that trio. But if guys like Loperfido and Walker can chip in all season, it makes life easier for the rest of Joe Espada's team.