ANAHEIM -- Astros catcher Jason Castro joined the team at Angel Stadium on Friday and caught Scott Kazmir's bullpen session and took early batting practice, moving a step closer to getting activated from the disabled list. He's been out since Aug. 29 with a right quad strain.
Castro, who didn't travel with the team to Oakland so he could rehab in Houston, could be activated as early as Sunday, but he still needs to run at full speed and do more catching agility drills before he's cleared.
Astros will continue using a five-man rotation for the rest of the year
ANAHEIM -- Losing veteran right-hander Scott Feldman for the rest of the season -- including the playoffs -- with a sprained right shoulder is a blow to the Astros, but their starting-pitching depth has them in good position to absorb the loss.