New Astros 1B Christian Walker scratched from lineup with left oblique soreness

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - New Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker was scratched from the lineup for a spring training game Wednesday because of soreness in his left oblique.

Walker missed more than a month last season with Arizona because of a strained left oblique muscle. He joined the Astros on a $60 million, three-year contract during the offseason.

In his first four spring training games for Houston, Walker was 4 for 8 with three doubles. He also had two walks.

Adding a first baseman over the offseason was a priority for the Astros after struggling José Abreu was released less than halfway through a $58.5 million, three-year contract.

Walker, who turns 34 on March 28, hit .251 with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs in 130 games for the Diamondbacks last season. He won his third consecutive Gold Glove at first base.

In 832 big league games, Walker has hit .250 with 147 homers. All but 13 of those games came with Arizona over the past eight seasons, after his MLB debut with Baltimore in 2014 and 2015.

Walker had two stints on the injured list because of right oblique issues in 2021. He played 160 games in 2022 and 157 in 2023, hitting 69 homers and driving in 197 runs combined over those two seasons.