Jason Castro

Jason Castro (neck) is out of the lineup for the second straight day Wednesday against the Brewers.

Castro is still dealing with some neck soreness following a home plate collision with Brewers’ first baseman Mat Gamel on Monday night. However, he should be ready to return following the off-day on Thursday.

Jason Castro went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI as the Astros pounded the Nationals 11-4 on Thursday.

Castro has gotten off to a slow start on the season, with his three-hit effort raising his average to .212 (7-for-33). The Astros are committed to him as their catcher of the future, and he’s received the bulk of the playing time over Chris Snyder in the early part of the season. He possesses a fair amount of upside and is a solid option in deep two catcher leagues.

Jason Castro hit his first spring homer Sunday off the Tigers’ Doug Fister.

He’s batting .341 with nine RBI in 41 at-bats. The Astros don’t have much, but maybe Castro will surprise and turn in a solid offensive season in his return from knee surgery. That’d give them two up-the-middle regulars (with Jose Altuve the other) they can count on for 2013 and beyond.

Jason Castro (knee, foot) caught all nine innings of Friday’s loss to the Braves.

It was the first time all spring Castro, who missed all of 2011 with a torn ACL, caught nine innings. He caught seven on Thursday. Castro is in the midst of a solid spring at the dish, batting .333/.357/.385 through 41 plate appearances. Although Castro hit just .205/.286/.287 as a rookie in 2010, a career .287/.376/.411 minor-league hitter, he’s worth a roster spot in NL-only leagues.

Jason Castro (knee) will have no limitations when Grapefruit League play opens this weekend.

It’s great news for the Astros and the 24-year-old catcher, who has made a smooth recovery from left foot surgery. Castro will be Houston’s starting backstop in 2012 if he’s able to avoid setbacks with the foot this spring.

Jason Castro caught a bullpen session Monday for the first time since undergoing surgery in December to remove the sesamoid bone from his left foot.

“I feel it went really well,” said Castro. “It was nice to get in there and catch someone with pretty serious movement.” Castro would catch three bullpen sessions per day in camp under normal circumstances, but the Astros are naturally easing him back into action. The 24-year-old backstop still hopes to be ready for the start of the season, but Chris Snyder and Humbero Quintero would carry the load in the early going if he suffers any setbacks.

Jason Castro (foot surgery) said Sunday he’s “healthy and good to go.”

Castro had surgery in early-December to remove the sesamoid bone from his left foot and most figured he wouldn’t be ready by Opening Day. He’s progressed ahead of schedule, though, and it sounds like there’s a good chance he’ll be able to avoid the disabled list. That said, Castro admitted that he’ll ease back into action after the foot surgery and having missed all of the 2011 season with a torn ACL. Chris Snyder offers the Astros insurance behind the plate until Castro is ready for a full workload.

Jason Castro (foot surgery) has been cleared to start jogging and increasing the intensity of his workouts.

Castro had surgery in early-December to remove the sesamoid bone from his left foot after injuring it while playing in the Arizona Fall League. While the 24-year-old backstop considers himself ahead of schedule and hopes to be ready for the start of the Astros’ Grapefruit League schedule, he has no plans to push himself too soon. “I’m not going to rush anything when I first get to camp just so that I’m ready to play when games start and kind of make sure I’m strong enough and my foot is ready for game-speed-type stuff,” said Castro, who missed all of last season with a torn meniscus and ACL in his right knee. “We’ll take it as it comes, and when I get to camp, feel it out and see what I’m ready for and progress from there.” The Astros have Chris Snyder and Humbero Quintero as in-house insurance policies if Castro suffers any setbacks.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Friday that Jason Castro is progressing ahead of schedule following surgery on his left foot.

Castro suffered the injury during the final game of the Arizona Fall League season in mid-November. While it’s possible he’ll be ready for Opening Day, he might not be able to carry a heavy workload right away. With that in mind, the Astros added veteran catcher Chris Snyder as an insurance policy on Friday. Humberto Quintero, who appeared in 76 games with the Astros last season, is another option behind the plate.