Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

Though still in a tentative stage, the Jose Altuve-in-left field experiment is underway. Two weeks remain until the Houston Astros hold their first full-squad workout of spring training. But in Houston,

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown recently seemed to take a hard stance on whether he thinks Alex Bregman will be back in Houston.

It was believed the Houston Astros had the inside track on re-signing veteran third baseman Alex Bregman just a week ago. However the team has made little progress in landing the free agent, who had spent his entire nine-year MLB career in Houston.

Houston Astros all-time saves leader Billy Wagner will have his jersey number retired. It's an honor that coincides with his induction into the Hall of Fame.

It will be a busy summer for former left-handed closer Billy Wagner, who will have his No. 13 retired by the Houston Astros before an Aug. 16 home game.