Astros makes Brice Matthews Opening Day roster decision

The Houston Astros have concluded Spring Training and will be opening the regular season on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels. An injury in the World Baseball Classic to Jeremy Pena opened a potential roster spot for one of the Astros’ prospects.

Now, one of those prospects has been informed has made the Opening Day MLB roster, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

“Brice Matthews made the Astros’ Opening Day roster over Zach Cole, who has been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land,” Rome posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Matthews was the 28th overall selection of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He would move his way up the ranks, ultimately working up to Triple-A Sugar Land in 2025. Matthews made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2025 as well. He played in 13 games, getting 42 at-bats, but hit just .167 with a .222 on base percetnage.

While he has just seven hits, he has four home runs, nine RBIs, six runs scored, and a stolen base. Matthews hit better this spring. He hit .250 with a .400 on-base percentage. Further, he has a home run, nine RBIs, and scored six runs while also stealing eight bases.

He won out over Cole, who was a tenth-round selection of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Astors. Cole also made his MLB debut in 2025, playing in 15 games and hitting .255. He also had four home runs, 11 RBIS, and nine runs scored. The outfielder did not have the same level of success in spring training that Matthews did. He hit just .200 with a .340 OBP. He also had two home runs and scored five times.

The Astros are looking to rebound after missing the playoffs in 2025 with a playoff run in 2026.