J.P. France's return is on the horizon as the Houston Astros right-hander is set to face hitters during live batting practice, marking progress from his shoulder surgery. He underwent a capsule tear repair last July and had shown resilience during his previous 28 starts, where he recorded a 4.40 ERA. Other Astros pitchers such as Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia are also on the mend post-surgeries, but remain out of the batting practice phase.

Pedro León, meanwhile, faces setbacks after aggravating a knee injury while rehabbing with Triple-A Sugar Land. León, who had a brief MLB stint last season, is now back on the sidelines. Additionally, the Astros have signed veteran reliever Jordan Weems to bolster their pitching depth, after he had a lackluster season with the Nationals.