WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Grapefruit League play begins across Florida today as all 15 teams open their exhibition schedules, signaling the unofficial start of baseball season.
The Houston Astros will make their 2026 spring debut Saturday when they host the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. CT, with left-hander Colton Gordon set to start for Houston.
The Astros and Nationals share the West Palm Beach complex, making Saturday’s opener a simple intrasquad-style tune-up without travel.
Gordon Gets the Ball
Manager Joe Espada announced earlier this week that Gordon will take the mound first. The 25-year-old left-hander made his major league debut last season, posting a 5.34 ERA over 86 innings across 14 starts.
Gordon logged the second-most innings among returning Astros pitchers in 2025, trailing only Hunter Brown. With Houston’s rotation featuring multiple newcomers and several open questions, Gordon is competing for a back-end role, though he may begin the season as Triple-A depth following the offseason additions of Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows and Ryan Weiss.
What to Watch
Saturday provides the first live look at how Houston’s retooled roster fits together. The Astros are coming off an 83-79 season that ended their seven-year postseason streak, prompting notable changes this winter.
Key storylines include Cristian Javier’s continued return from Tommy John surgery, the integration of international additions Imai and Kai-Wei Teng, and how the infield alignment develops with Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Carlos Correa, Jeremy Peña, and Jose Altuve all factoring into playing time.
Spring games will also showcase MLB’s automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system. Each team receives two challenges per game, allowing players to dispute ball and strike calls. Houston has been practicing with the system on the back fields this week, installing monitors near home plate to sharpen challenge decisions.
League-Wide Action
Fifteen Grapefruit League teams are in action today, with the full Florida slate active by the weekend. The exhibition season runs through March 24, with Opening Day scheduled for March 26.
For Astros fans, Saturday’s noon start marks the first chance to evaluate whether Houston’s offseason adjustments position the club for a return to October baseball.