Walker got just 10 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play before his injury but said that between live BPs and minor-league games his "timing stuff and all that feels good." Espada slotted Walker in the cleanup spot for Thursday's opener.

Matt Kawahara covers the Astros for the Houston Chronicle. He can be reached at [email protected]. He joined the Chronicle in June 2023 after previously working at The San Francisco Chronicle, where he covered the Oakland A's from 2020-23 after two-plus years as the Oakland Raiders beat reporter. He also worked at The Sacramento Bee and primarily covered baseball, writing about the A's and Giants. He is a Cal alum and Sacramento native.