With spot clinched, what's next? Astros postseason FAQ

For the sixth straight season, the Astros are headed to the postseason after a 5-0 win over the A’s punched their ticket.

Here’s what’s ahead for Houston for the rest of the regular season and beyond:

What will the postseason roster look like?

One of the lone teams with the luxury of possibly running a five-man rotation in the playoffs, the Astros are deep in all the right places. With no players on the 10- or 15-day IL, they are almost fully operational, sans Michael Brantley, who is on the 60-day IL and will miss the rest of the year. Houston will have some tough calls to make in the bullpen, which is more of a side effect of its embarrassment of riches rather than a lack of depth. Here's a projection of who could suit up:

C: Martín Maldonado, Christian Vázquez
1B: Yuli Gurriel
2B: Jose Altuve
3B: Alex Bregman
SS: Jeremy Peña
OF: Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick, Kyle Tucker, Mauricio Dubón
DH: Trey Mancini, David Hensley
UTIL: Aledmys Díaz
SP: Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, José Urquidy, Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr.
RP: Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, Héctor Neris, Will Smith, Rafael Montero, Ryan Pressly

What’s left in the regular season?

The Astros likely clinch home-field advantage through the ALDS before they lock down a division title, as the division-rival Mariners have a better record than the AL Central-leading Guardians. With another win on Saturday or a Guardians loss to the Twins, the Astros will clinch home-field -- given they win the division. Here’s what else is left to achieve:

• First-round bye: The two division winners with the best record in each league advance straight to the Division Series, skipping a three-game Wild Card Series.

• Best record in the AL: The Astros can clinch home-field advantage through the ALCS if they finish with the AL's best record, which they hold.

• Best record in MLB: Houston can also clinch home-field advantage through the World Series by finishing as the best team in both leagues. The Astros have the second-best record in baseball, trailing only the Dodgers.

Who will they face in the first round?

Assuming the Astros hold off the Mariners for the AL West crown and end the season with the best record in the league -- both of which they are on pace to complete -- Houston will play the winner of the Wild Card Series between the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds, which are the top two Wild Card positions. With the Astros being the only AL team to clinch so far, their opponent could be one of many contenders. Here’s how they fared against the Yankees, Guardians, Rays, Blue Jays, Mariners, White Sox and Orioles -- every AL team that currently holds or is within 5 games of a playoff spot:

• Yankees: 5-2
• Guardians: 4-3
• Rays: 0-0
• Blue Jays: 2-4
• Mariners: 12-7
• White Sox: 4-3
• Orioles: 1-2

What is their health situation?

As mentioned above, the Astros have it a bit better than most teams, with no players currently on the 10- or 15-day injured lists. There are a few notable names on the 60-day IL. Here's who is on the shelf:

• LHP Blake Taylor (left elbow inflammation): Taylor has recovered, but he was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land following his activation from the 60-day IL on Sept. 13.

• RHP Josh James (right lat strain): James has made five rehab appearances with Sugar Land. He should be back with the big league club before the regular season ends.

• OF Michael Brantley (right labrum surgery): Brantley will not be available for the rest of the season after undergoing season-ending surgery.

• C Jason Castro (left knee surgery): Castro is out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

It is also important to note that the Astros did not place any players on the restricted list when they traveled to Toronto to face the Blue Jays in April. Players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 may not enter Canada and must be put on the restricted list.

What will the rotation look like?

As of now, the only two locks look to be Verlander and Valdez. After those two, it’s fair game between Urquidy, Javier, Garcia and McCullers. Javier has the most experience coming out of the bullpen, so he may be destined for relief.

What’s the biggest question going forward?

With such a deep bullpen, the Astros will have to make some tough decisions on the front end of it. Will they keep a more experienced arm like Maton on the roster? Will they take their chances on some fresh faces like Seth Martinez, who owns a 2.09 ERA across 29 big league appearances this season, and Hunter Brown, who has looked incredibly sharp through two career starts? They could also bring Blake Taylor back into the mix to have a second left-handed reliever on the roster in case Will Smith gets too taxed, but that isn't as likely as the other options.