Brian McTaggart reported on his Twitter account that the Astros are set to call up five players once rosters expand on September 1.
Three of the players have major league experience. Left-hander Wesley Wright, 25, will be rejoining the Astros for a third stint with the big league team and a second this season. Second baseman Matt Downs, 26, appeared in 29 games with the San Francisco Giants before being claimed off waivers by Houston in August.
Catcher Brian Esposito, 31, signed a minor-league contract with Houston before the 2009 season and has bounced between AA and AAA. A fifth-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in the 2000 draft, Esposito has appeared in one game with the Cardinals in 2007. He did not get an at-bat, playing one inning as a defensive replacement and making one putout. In 58 games this season, Esposito hit .205/.235/.282 in 209 plate appearances with 10 extra-base hits, 40 strikeouts and five walks.
The other three will be making their big-league debuts. Outfielder Brian Bogusevic is a former first-round pick out of Tulane who converted from pitching to the outfield in 2008. He was hitting .276/.365/.416 in 573 plate appearances with 26 doubles, 13 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 24 attempts for Round Rock.
Right-hander Henry Villar, 23, is the youngest of the five call-ups and could have the biggest impact in the bullpen. Villar transitioned into the starting rotation halfway through the season and had a 4.15 ERA in 36 games over 102 innings for Corpus Christi. He has struck out 343 batters in 372 1/3 career minor league innings.