A source says that one prospect who was considered the greatest in the Houston Astros’ farm system will have a chance to reach the Opening Day roster.

The Houston Astros’ choices to improve their roster are becoming fewer and fewer as the offseason goes on. Before he signed a deal to join the San Francisco Giants, reliever Jordan Hicks, a local boy and team supporter, appeared to be in their sights.

With a lineup that is among the most fearsome in sports and a full rotation with players returning from injury, the Astros bullpen is perhaps the only area they will invest in upgrading.

But with financial limitations, it’s going to be hard for Dana Brown to find top talent. That’s why Chandler Rome of The Athletic thinks Houston’s former top prospect, Forrest Whitley, is going to have a real shot to make the Opening Day roster.

“As a reliever for a team that just lost 185 innings from its bullpen and will be without Bryan Abreu for the first two games of the season, he will report to spring training.There should be open spots, and Brown has expressed confidence that Whitley can take one,” the author says.

This would be incredibly interesting to witness. According to MLB Pipeline, Whitley was the Astros’ top prospect in 2018 after being selected in the first round two years earlier. Across three minor league levels in 2017, he pitched 92 1/3 innings with a 2.83 ERA and 143 strikeouts.