Ten teams called the Houston Astros about Jeremy Peña. Every single one got turned away. Dana Brown and Jim Crane looked at a roster sitting under .500, three and a half games back of Seattle in the AL West, and said we're still in this. Peña is not available. Neither is Christian Walker. The Astros are buyers.

Also this week: Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith, and Taylor Trammell — three injury returnees — hit back-to-back-to-back home runs off Shane Bieber in the fourth inning in Toronto. Trammell's shot reached the 500 level at Rogers Centre. Only 25 balls in stadium history have ever gotten there. Then Joey Loperfido won it with a walk-off in the 11th. Tatsuya Imai struck out 11 without a walk. And down in Fayetteville, Anthony Huzo, Xavier Neyens, and Kevin Alvarez hit back-to-back-to-back home runs — the first in franchise history.

Prospect Spotlight: Kyle Walker — the 8th round pick from Grambling State who transferred to Arizona State and is quietly becoming one of the more interesting bats at High-A Asheville.

The Astros Universe covers the full Houston Astros organization every Wednesday — Single-A to the Show. Follow us on X: @AstrosUniverse

In the first inning of a Friday night game in Kansas City, Yordan Álvarez hit a two-run home run. The inning continued. The bases loaded again. Álvarez came up a second time. He hit a grand slam. He became the first player in the 150-plus year history of Major League Baseball to hit a grand slam and a multi-run home run in the first inning of the same game. Before the Royals had a chance to catch their breath.

Also this week: Hunter Brown walks back to the Daikin Park mound 77 days after his shoulder strain, faces Framber Valdez in his first start, and the crowd gives him a standing ovation. Yainer Diaz returns from the IL the same night. And the Corpus Christi Hooks score 66 runs in six games.

Prospect Spotlight: Drew Brucher — never drafted, independent ball in Utah, signed two weeks before the 2025 season. This week he went 13-for-24 with 14 RBIs in five games at Double-A. The Astros found him when every other team passed.

The Astros Universe covers the full Houston Astros organization every Wednesday — Single-A to the Show. Follow us on X: @AstrosUniverse

Lamonte Wade Jr. signed Thursday. Homered Saturday. Hit an RBI double Monday. Hobbled into second base and left the game. On the IL by Tuesday. That's not a tenure. That's a free trial.

Also Monday night in Anaheim: José Altuve scored the go-ahead run in the tenth by tagging up on a pop out to shallow center. Then Bryce Matthews, a rookie infielder playing left field on two hours notice, threw out Mike Trout at the plate to end the game. 149 feet. 93.2 miles per hour. One hop. Mike Trout. Out.

Also this week: Yordan Álvarez is named AL Player of the Week, leads the majors in OPS, and hits a grand slam off a 23-year-old making his MLB debut. The Astros go 4-3 despite everything.

Prospect Spotlight: Pascanel Ferreras — the 614th pick in the 2023 draft, drafted last, given up on by nobody including himself, now hitting .500 in his first week at Triple-A.

The Astros Universe covers the full Houston Astros organization every Wednesday — Single-A to the Show. Follow us on X: @AstrosUniverse