Astros C J.R. Towles led off the bottom of the third with his fourth home run of the season Saturday as Houston fell 3-2 to the Rockies.

Towles homered as the Astros lose 3-2 ... [...]

Astros C J.R. Towles, who hadn't started for three games because of a bone bruise in his left hand, returned to the lineup Friday against the Rockies. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

J.R. Towles made a pinch-hit appearance on Thursday night, his first showing since suffering a bone bruise in his left hand on Sunday. He tells the Houston Chronicle that he felt fine, and the rookie could start on Friday.Fantasy owners with daily lineup moves can feel free to give Towles a look on Friday.

Astros C J.R. Towles, who had missed the past two games with a bone bruise in his left hand, felt well enough to pinch hit in Thursday's 10-2 loss to the Phillies. Towles flied out in the fifth inning.

Towles returns as pinch-hitter ... [...]

J.R. Towles caught a bullpen session on Wednesday and appears to be in line to return to action on Friday, this according to the Houston Chronicle. "I felt all right," he said. "It didn't really bother me. I felt it on the low pitches when I had to turn my thumb down. It was definitely better than I expected. I thought I'd be more sore."Towles has had a rough start to the year being in and out of the lineup, but he has three HR and seven RBI in 11 games, not to mention six BB and three HBP which offset his lowly .207 batting average.

Towles catches bullpen session ... [...]

J.R. Towles is making good progress on his hand ailment, but is not likely to play before Friday, according to the Houston Chronicle. He commented, "My hand feels pretty good. It's just pretty sore, but it feels better than I thought it would. They said it's a bone bruise, there's no broken bone in there, and that it's going to be sore for a little while and I have to take it easy for a few days."This is favorable news, and the young slugger should be back in action soon.

Report: Towles out until at least Friday ... [...]

Towles suffers bruised hand ... [...]

J.R. Towles did in the Marlins with his bat and his patience on Sunday. The catcher socked a two-run homer and drove in a third run via a bases-loaded walk. He then left the game after getting hit on the left hand with a pitch in the eighth inning.We'll update his status when more is known. Towles has shown more pop than expected in his brief time in the majors. His batting average should increase once he gets over some nagging injuries and settles in a little more.

J.R. Towles did in the Marlins with his bat and his patience on Sunday. The catcher socked a two-run homer and drove in a third run via a bases-loaded walk. Towles is hitting .207 with three homers and seven RBI on the young season.Towles has shown more pop than expected in his brief time in the majors. His batting average should increase once he gets over some nagging injuries and settles in a little more.

Astros' Towles homers in win over Marlins ... [...]

J.R. Towles is expected to catch pitcher Roy Oswalt on Friday, according to the Houston Chronicle. Manager Cooper commented that Towles will catch, and Towles added, "I want to do what's best for the team."Brad Ausmus caught Oswalt during his first two starts.

Towles to catch Oswalts next start ... [...]

J.R. Towles hit his first homer of the season on Friday, a two-run shot off of Cubs starter Rich Hill. It was Towles' only hit of the day. The rookie has driven in three runs over the past two games.The .231 average isn't good enough, but we like the pop that the kid is showing thus far.

Astros' Towles homers in win ... [...]

J.R. Towles rode the pine in favor of veteran Brad Ausmus in the Astros' season opener on Monday and the team is going to work their future star in slowly, according to the Houston Chronicle. Manager Cooper stated, "The reason why I'm doing it is I want my starting pitcher to be comfortable. This is a big year for us, and I want to make sure that he is comfortable and slowly kind of work the kid in catching Roy instead of just dropping the hammer on him, because that's not the right way to do it. We're going to slowly work him in. He'll catch the other guys for the most part. He and I have already talked about it. He is just happy to be here and be a part of this team."Towles should get plenty of at-bats this season, and being worked in slowly will be good for him.