4 days agoHouston Astros first baseman
Christian Walker (oblique) was hitting in the batting cage. The first baseman also fielded ground balls and ran. This is a great sign as this is the first time the 33-year-old swung a bat since suffering this injury. Walker underwent an MRI on his oblique but did not suffer a strain. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, but it appears he will likely not be in danger of missing Opening Day. Earlier in the offseason, Walker signed a three-year deal with the Astros worth $60 million. Last season, Walker held a .251/.335/.468 slash line with 26 home runs in Arizona. He generated an elite .351 xwOBA, 13.3 percent barrel rate, and 48.0 percent hard-hit rate, which were all well above the average marks. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Walker to serve as the everyday first baseman in Houston. He should be viewed as a solid No. 1 first baseman in all formats given his high-upside power.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Brian McTaggart
6 days agoHouston Astros first baseman
Christian Walker (oblique) has yet to resume swinging a bat at camp but will take infield on Tuesday. Walker suffered a minor left-oblique injury and is being eased back into baseball activities. The 33-year-old veteran is running out of time to get back up to speed with Opening Day two weeks away, but there is still time. At worst, Walker will open the 2025 regular season on the injured list but miss the minimal amount of time. In that even, the left-handed-hitting
Jon Singleton would take over at first base. Fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned about Walker unless he has a setback as he ramps up to try to get back into Grapefruit League games before the end of spring training. Walker isn't a household fantasy name but isn't a bad consolation prize as a low-end No. 1 first baseman after having hit 30-plus homers in two of the last three seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
1 week agoHouston Astros first baseman
Christian Walker (oblique) will not swing a bat for a few days. However, he was seen running and stretching with the team earlier on Sunday. Walker underwent an MRI on his oblique after being scratched from Wednesday's lineup. However, he did not suffer a strain and the diagnosis provided "relatively good news." Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status but he is currently on track to not miss any time during the regular season. Earlier in the offseason, the Astros signed Walker to a three-year $60 million contract. The 33-year-old has spent the majority of his MLB career in Arizona after playing his first two seasons in Baltimore. Last summer, Walker posted a .251/.335/.468 slash line with 26 doubles and 26 home runs. When healthy, he should bat in the heart of the Houston lineup which should provide him with elite RBI opportunities.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Brian McTaggart
1 week agoHouston Astros first baseman
Christian Walker's (oblique) MRI exam didn't show a "strain or anything that we are concerned about," manager Joe Espada said. The Astros are calling Walker's injury left-oblique soreness. He is returning to the team in camp on Friday and will be eased back into baseball activities. It's good news for the team's new first baseman, but the 33-year-old isn't out of the woods yet with three weeks until Opening Day. The good news is that if Walker doesn't have any setbacks with his oblique as he ramps back up, he still has a chance to be ready for the start of the regular season. If he's not ready to go, the left-handed-hitting
Jon Singleton would see most of the playing time at the cold corner to begin the year. Assuming Walker's oblique injury doesn't linger and affect his early-season production, he's not a bad fallback target at the first base position in fantasy drafts. Walker has 30-plus homers in two of the last three seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
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