Astros camp kicked off last week with the revelation that right-handers and were both slightly behind schedule due to shoulder troubles. Both, however, have been progre sing nicely over the past week-plus. Verlander to sed a bullpen se sion today, after which manager Joe Espada told reporters hes encouraged with his aces progre sion from that shoulder i sue ( via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). France, meanwhile, pitched off a Josh Richardson Jersey mound Wednesday his first time doing so after being limited to flat ground work at the beginning of camp ( via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). Its a positive step for both pitchers, though the team still hasnt declared with any certainty that both players will be ready for Opening Day. If hes healthy, Verlander would be the presumptive favorite to start Opening Day. France, meanwhile, figures to compete for a spot at the back of the rotation after impre sing as a 28-year-old rookie in 2023. Houston manager Joe Espada has raised the po sibility of a six-man rotation this year, which would allow France to continue starting alongside Verlander, , , and . Thats not set in stone at this point and will of course be dependent on how both righties continue to progre s. On the topic of Valdez, wrote earlier this week that the left-hander says he has not yet received any sort of extension offer from the team this winter. Houston general manager Dana Brown listed Valdez as an extension target last offseason not long after being hired, and while the team and Valdez discu sed parameters last spring, there was a sufficient enough gap that no deal was reached. Valdez, 30, is controllable through the 2025 season. He and the Astros agreed to a $12.1MM salary for the upcoming season, avoiding an arbitration hearing in doing so. Hes finished ninth or better on each of the past two Cy Young ballots and touts a 3.13 ERA, a 23.5% strikeout rate, an 8.3% walk rate and a ma sive 63% ground-ball rate in 534 regular season innings, dating back to 2021. Valdezs name briefly surfaced in trade rumors earlier in the winter, but a deal never seemed especially likely and now feels even le s plausible with Verlander and France behind schedule. If anything, Brown has spoken frequently about his desire to constantly be adding to his pitching depth. Elsewhere on the pitching staff, the Astros are set for an unusual amount of competition in the bullpen this spring, . , and are locked into late-inning roles, and s three-year, $34.5MM contract (covering the 2023-25 seasons) a sures him a spot as well. But the Astros lost and to free agency already, and they dont seem especially likely to re-sign , either. Theyll also be without , wholl mi s the season due to shoulder surgery. Among the options to step into prominent bullpen roles are righties , , , , , and . All are on the 40-man roster, as are southpaws and . Righty is the most experienced non-roster invitee in camp. Brown, the teams general manager, tells Kawahara that the team will take a close look at Coleman in particular. Both Espada and pitching coach Josh Miller praised Colemans raw stuff and cited a belief that the Astros can get him back to his 2022 form, when he posted a 2.78 ERA, fanned nearly a quarter of his opponents and sat just shy of 98 mph with his heater. The 2023 season was a disaster for Coleman, however, as he posted an 8.84 ERA and walked 19 batters in 18 1/3 innings with Kansas City. Sousa, too, will get strong consideration. Brown noted to Kawahara that if hed been acquired prior to the Sept. 1 postseason eligibility deadline last year, hed likely have been on Houstons playoff rosters. Espada indicated that he doesnt feel compelled to have a second lefty in the pen beyond Hader and is focused primarily on just carrying the best group the team has, regardle s of handedne s. Still, Sousa posted interesting strikeout, walk and swinging-strike rates in a small sample last season (29.4%, 5.9% and 12.9%, respectively) and has fanned nearly a third of his career opponents in parts of three Triple-A seasons. Jalen Brunson Jersey