Brown (back) is on track to be part of the Astros' season-opening starting rotation, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brown was scratched from a scheduled Grapefruit League start last week after experiencing lower-back tightness while doing some agility drills in camp, but he made it through a bullpen session Sunday without issue and is slated to throw a simulated game Wednesday. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a 0.89 ERA with 22 strikeouts over his first 20.1 major-league innings last year, working mostly in relief. He holds considerable fantasy upside in 2023 with a relatively locked-in starting role for the defending World Series champs.