J.R. Towles (ankle) is expected to be available for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Towles was scratched from Houston's lineup on Saturday and did not play Sunday because of a bruise on his ankle. He's 7-for-19 with a home run and two RBI, but that high level of production is sure to fade eventually.

J.R. Towles (ankle) was a late scratch from the Astros' lineup Saturday.

Towles has been dealing with soreness after fouling a ball off his ankle a few days ago. Humberto Quintero will replace Towles behind the plate.

J.R. Towles (back) is in the Astros' exhibition lineup Wednesday.

Towles has been limited for the past week or so by back spasms. If everything goes well Wednesday, he should be cleared to open the regular season in the majors.

J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero are expected to share catching duties for the Astros this season.

Towles has been dealing with back spasms in recent days, but the Astros are hopeful that he'll be fine come Opening Day. He definitely has more offensive upside than Quintero and should be the one targeted in NL-only leagues, but we're far from enamored with either of them.

J.R. Towles was scratched from Saturday's lineup with back spasms.

Towles is projected to serve as the backup to Humberto Quintero this season. Hopefully he'll be back in action in a few days.

J.R. Towles went 3-for-4 with a homer Sunday as an Astros split-squad beat a Tigers split-squad 3-1.

Towles doesn't have the glove to match Humberto Quintero's, so he'll need to hit if he's going to take over as the Astros' starting catcher. He's at .350 with two homers through 20 at-bats this spring.

J.R. Towles took groundballs at first base Friday and will see some work at third base and in the outfield during spring training.

The Astros are trying to increase Towles' versatility now that he's a clear No. 3 on the depth chart behind Jason Castro and Humberto Quintero. It will give him a slightly better chance of cracking the opening day roster if he proves to be passable at the positions, but ultimately he'll almost surely start the year at Triple-A.

J.R. Towles (hand) is expected to be healthy when spring training begins.

But he doesn't stand a chance of cracking the major league roster. Once regarded as a promising young catcher, the 26-year-old Towles batted just .191/.235/.319 in 51 plate appearances last year for Houston. The Astros have moved on to young catcher Jason Castro, who will probably share time behind the plate with Humberto Quintero this upcoming season.

J.R. Towles (hand) is still not playing in minor league games.

Towles broke a bone in his hand in May and plans to sit out for the rest of 2010. "I'm just going to wait until the season is over and then hopefully when the offseason starts, I'm just going to start working out and continue to do what I do for the year," said the catcher. He will struggle to ever climb back to the major leagues, barring a major turnaround.

J.R. Towles has been diagnosed with a broken bone in his hand and is expected to miss at least the next month.

As if he needed any more bad news. Towles, once a highly regarded catching prospect, was optioned to Double-A earlier this month and is just 2-for-20 against the lesser competition. He won't be back in the majors anytime soon, especially with Juan Castro rising quickly through the ranks.

Astros optioned C J.R. Towles to Triple-A Round Rock.

With Jason Castro on the rise in the organization, this might have been Towles' last shot with Houston. Towles failed to make the most of the opportunity, batting just .191/.235/.319 with one home run and nine RBI over 47 at-bats. Humberto Quintero figures to share playing time with Kevin Cash until Castro is ready.

J.R. Towles was 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over the Cubs on Saturday afternoon.

Towles was batting just .056 entering Saturday's game, so he was due for a breakout. The fifth inning solo shot was his first home run of the year. Still, he has a 6/0 K/BB ratio in 22 at-bats this season. He'll be provided with plenty of chances in the early going, but Jason Castro could be up with the club after Memorial Day should he continue to struggle.

J.R. Towles ripped an RBI double in a loss to the Giants on Monday night.

No surprise, it took Tim Lincecum to leave the game for the Astros to finally get on the board in the bottom of the ninth. There's still hope for the 26-year-old Towles, but the clock is ticking rather rapidly, as 2008 first-round pick Jason Castro is on a rapid rise in the organization.