Brantley went hitless in two at-bats Wednesday against the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

Manager AJ HInch deployed whatlooked like an Opening Day lineup, which had Brantley, a left-handed batter, hitting fourth behind George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman (back) and ahead of Carlos Correa. "I do want him in the middle of all those righthanded hitters somewhere," Hinch told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "And whether that falls ahead or behind of any of these guys, that's what I'm looking at this spring. I just want him up to bat with some traffic and somebody behind him that's a threat that can keep the line moving." Having a left-handed presence was missing from the middle of Houston's order last season, which is a main reason why the Astros signed Brantley during the offseason. His excellent contact rate (9.5 K%) is a bonus.