Which Houston Astros Top Prospects Could Contribute in 2026?

The Houston Astros are pretty well known at this point for having one of the weaker farm systems in the game, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some useful pieces that will make an impact on the big league club.

And with the Astros in a bit of a transitional period and perennial budget crunch, these impact youngsters with control are more important than ever as Houston fights to remain a major player in the American League.

There’s three main groups of prospects who could make an impact for the 2026 Astros — already debuted, ready to deliver and long shots. Here’s some guys who fit into each category and will be battling each other for the opportunity to put on a Houston jersey this year.

Already Debuted

Brice Matthews, 2B/UTL

Brice Matthews played 13 fairly underwhelming big league games in 2025, but maintained his rookie eligibility. The 23-year-old had a .674 OPS in 42 at bats, hitting .167 with 20 strikeouts.

On the flip side, four of his seven hits were home runs. He’s played mostly second base in his professional career, but has some experience at shortstop, third base and center field.

Matthews’ potential versatility could be huge for an aging Astros lineup that has been plagued by injuries.

With Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Pena, Christian Walker, Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers all missing significant time at points of the last two seasons, having a utility piece at the ready could be massive this season.

Matthews brings lots of volatility with the swing-and-miss in his game, but there’s also the potential he gets hot, slugs a ton and steals lots of bags to offset some shaky defense.

There’s not an obvious fit on the Astros for Matthews right now, but one could open up or he can help as the centerpiece of a deal for some proven talent at the deadline.

AJ Blubaugh, RHP

AJ Blubaugh had far more success in Houston than Matthews, posting a 1.69 ERA in 32 innings, consisting of three starts and eight relief appearances. The righty struck out 35 and walked 11, but the 4.42 FIP shows there could be some regression.

Blubaugh could prove to be incredibly useful as a swingman this year with upside to break into the rotation.

He’s currently slated to start in Triple-A by FanGraphs, but Christian Javier is coming off of injury, Lance McCullers Jr. is on the IL more often than not lately, Tatsuya Imai has to adjust coming over from Japan, Ryan Weiss is returning to the MLB after spending two seasons in South Korea and guys like Enyel de los Santos, Nate Pearson and Roddery Munoz haven’t been models of consistency.

The 25-year-old pitcher can use his sweeper against righties and changeup against lefties to compliment his fastball, and it all ticks up just enough when pitching out of the bullpen. His versatility could be huge in the dog days.

Zach Cole, OF

Cole burst on the scene late last season, clubbing four home runs and sporting an .880 OPS over 47 plate appearances. Sure, he struck out 20 times in 47 plate appearances, but the immediate impact as a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder was there. He can even play some center field if needed.

Cole’s strikeout rate (35.1% in the minors in 2025) is alarming and will eventually cause some struggles, but can be mitigated if he exclusively faces right-handed pitching.

This fit is pretty self-explanatory, as he can be a bench outfielder, platoon with Cam Smith in right field or man left field. Cole has the clearest path to immediate playing time of the three in this group and can be a real difference maker when he gets hot.

Ready to Deliver

Miguel Ullola, RHP

Ullola has slowly climbed his way up the Astros’ prospect lists over the last five years and appears to be ready to make an impact.

He was added to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 Draft this winter and can take on multiple roles for Houston this year. Ullola’s bread and butter is his tricky heater.

He has great carry and extension on a fastball that averaged 92-94 MPH in 2025, and has three other serviceable offerings with a curveball, slider and changeup.

The downfall is his command that can go at any moment. It might make Ullola a reliever in 2026, but he can start if needed with a quick hook if things are going poorly. Ullola’s heater-curveball combo could work really well in the ‘pen and potentially cover up those nagging command issues.

Alimber Santa, RHP

Alimber Santa is a reliever through and through and has a bit of Enoli Paredes in him. He coils and explodes with a heater that sits in the mid-90s and can reach 100 when he’s firing. A sinker and sweeper give him three quality offerings.

Santa, like most other explosive relievers, struggles with command at times. That didn’t hurt him in Double-A in 2025, where he pitched to a 1.26 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 23 walks in 57 innings. He then had a 6.92 ERA with 19 punchouts and 16 walks in 13 frames in Triple-A.

Santa has a greater chance to crack the bigs at some point in 2026 than most in this section because he’s been a reliever and the Astros have a bit of a question mark in the back end of their ‘pen.

As long as the Triple-A command issues don’t continue, this will definitely be a name to watch for 2027 at the very least.

Ethan Pecko, RHP

Ethan Pecko missed the first half of 2025 after being named the Astros’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2024, his first full season of pro ball. That didn’t slow him down much, and the 23-year-old righty sported a 3.09 ERA in 35 innings at Triple-A.

Pecko has almost exclusively started in the minors and doesn’t have a standout pitch to potentially be an elite reliever like Ullola. He would likely be in a swingman role like Blubaugh, but Pecko could survive in spot starts with an average-to-above average fastball, cutter and slider, with a curveball and changeup that can be mixed in.

The Towson product will be battling with the rest of these pitchers for opportunities when they arise, but he has a lot of similarities to JP France, who was just DFA’d after Kai-Wei Teng was acquired from the Giants.

Bryce Mayer, RHP

Bryce Mayer is likely a low-upside starter, but he rose the ranks in 2025 from Low-A to Double-A. He only logged 29 innings at Double-A and had a 5.90 ERA, but his current arsenal could work in Houston with a couple tweaks.

Mayer is a flyball pitcher who was drafted despite an ERA over 6.00 at Missouri, and his fastball/slider combo with quality command can get outs when both pitches are working.

The arsenal is limited with minimal chance to rise beyond a back-of-the-rotation arm, but he can fill a role as an innings eater with the ability to pitch in relief.

Jackson Nezuh, RHP

Nezuh and Ullola might have the best chance to stick as leverage relievers if starting games doesn’t work due to the presence of two plus pitches.

Nezuh’s best offering is his changeup, which can play well off his two fastball shapes. Nezuh’s fastball sits around 92-94 MPH and can reach 97, while the cutter sits in the mid-80s.

The changeup hovers in the high-70s to low-80s with lots of vertical drop. A curveball and sweeper exist, if only to give a different look.

The 23-year-old battled command problems with the changeup in 2025, and has been hit-or-miss with the cutter since returning from an injury in 2025.

If the changeup comes back, Nezuh can be a spot starter. If it doesn’t, he might end up as a reliever in 2026 or this could be a bad inclusion.

Alonzo Tredwell, RHP

Alonzo Tredwell has the longest to go among the pitchers in this section because of a lack of pro experience.

The hulking righty battled injuries in 2024 and tossed 100 innings across three levels in 2025. He got progressively better though, which is why he’s included. Tredwell got his fastball to play up, and his curveball has tons of vertical break from his 6-foot-7 frame.

There’s not crazy walk concerns, even if his curveball can fail him at times. The lack of a consistent third offering puts a lot of pressure on the fastball to be spotted consistently and the curveball to be around the zone enough.

Tredwell could get to Houston if he continues to ascend and succeed despite a few clear deficiencies. He’s the last starter in this section for a reason, but had a better 2025 than Mayer and Nezuh.

Lucas Spence, OF

As the only position player in this section, Spence has a chance to continue working his way up the ladder as a glove-first outfielder with solid decision making at the dish.

He’s not a sexy player, but Spence is the type of guy who can carve out a role as a backup outfielder and you don’t hate when he fills in. There’s not a ton of pop in the bat and some in-zone whiff, but he doesn’t get himself out and has speed when he gets on the bases.

There is enough power for double digits home runs if Spence gets enough run.

With McCormick potentially wearing out his welcome after two consecutive underwhelming years, Alvarez constantly battling injury and the aforementioned Cole battling swing-and-miss problems, Spence might need a few more months of a .770 OPS (his 2025 MiLB OPS) in 2026 to get a call if some outfield depth is needed.

Long Shots

Walker Janek, C

These are meant to be a bit unrealistic, but the Astros’ current backup catcher is Cesar Salazar. Janek did repeat high-A in 2025, but he had a .766 in 92 games and has a rocket behind the dish.

Salazar has graded out as an average defender in his limited major league action, but he hits left handed. That could ultimately be what makes Houston pump the brakes on a Janek push, but a Yainer Diaz injury could force the issue some.

If the Sam Houston product can continue to slug (12 home runs and 21 doubles in 358 ABs in 2025), steal bases (30 bags in 2025) and improve his receiving and framing, Janek can become a backup catcher with the potential to split time with Diaz in 2026.

Ethan Frey, OF

This is the one where you really have to squint your eyes and imagine, but Frey hit like crazy at LSU and sported a .904 OPS in 26 games at Low-A. He’s projected to have a fringy hit tool as he progresses, but so far so good.

The raw power is also there based both off the data (90th percentile EV of 107 MPH and Hard Hit rate higher than 55%) and eye test (6-foot-6, 225 pounds).

Frey produced immediately at LSU once he broke into the lineup and is a good athlete despite DH’ing most of the time in college due to a 2024 labrum injury. He played all three outfield spots as a pro, moves well enough and was a catcher and dual-threat quarterback in high school.

He’s a long shot for a reason, but Frey could move quick like former LSU teammates Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews (admittedly without the prospect pedigree), especially if the Astros are floundering and in need of a jolt.