Although the Astros came into the weekend desperate for another capable bat in their lineup, the team's recent offensive struggles will not expedite the timeline for Yulieski Gurriel's major league debut, general manager Jeff Luhnow said Friday.

Gurriel remains on target to most likely debut during the Astros' home series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 16-17. If their $47.5 million man arrives earlier, it's because he has displayed his readiness ahead of schedule.

"If our coaches and scouts are telling us that they think he's ready to contribute up here, that's when we'll make the decision, irrespective of what's happening with the big league club," Luhnow said.

Gurriel has three hits, including a double, through six at-bats spanning two games with Class A Lancaster in the hitter-friendly California League. The 32-year-old Cuban infielder played the field for the first time in minor league game action on Thursday, manning third base.

Gurriel likely will next join Class AA Corpus Christi for its six-game homestand that begins Tuesday.

The Astros have applied for a Canadian work visa so that Gurriel could play in Toronto on Aug. 12-14 if called upon.

Between his stints with the team's Gulf Coast League and Lancaster affiliates, he has played only four games since the approval of his work visa a week ago. Before beginning his big league tune-up, he had not played competitively since February.

"We're going to be flexible," Luhnow said. "But it's the equivalent of saying, 'Were any of our players ready for a major league game in the middle of a pennant race on March 4th after two spring training games?' "

Luhnow said previously he anticipated Gurriel requiring at least two weeks of game activity before the Astros determined if he was ready to debut.

"He's been taking good at-bats," Luhnow said. "You get a lot of false positives from Lancaster in terms of numbers because of the environment there. But the staff reports were all very positive. We'll see how it goes this weekend."

Rangers giveLucroy day off

The Astros were set to face one of the Rangers' marquee trade deadline acquisitions in Friday night's series opener at Minute Maid Park.

They won't have to see the other until Saturday.

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy was given a day out of the lineup Friday, his first in four days since joining the team.

Carlos Beltran, the other of the Rangers' two new big bats, started at DH in Friday's 5-0 loss, going 1-for-4 with a double.

Lucroy has two hits, including a home run, in his first 10 at-bats since joining the Rangers from the Milwaukee Brewers in Monday's trade.

"This is an everyday guy. He's not a guy that we have to take out of the lineup," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "Yet everything going into the trade deadline, I'm sure there were some professional emotions that went into everything that was kind of swirled around the trade and the situation prior to the trade.

"And then the travel to get to Baltimore. So all of those factors for me just said, 'OK, today would be a good day to allow him to kind of decompress.' "

Odds and ends

The Astros had to make a roster move before Saturday's game as Doug Fister will return from the paternity leave list and make his scheduled start. And they did so Friday night by optioning righthander Brad Peacock back to Class AAA. …

Pitching prospect David Paulino continues to work his way back from soreness in his pitching arm. He may make a third rehab start with the Astros' Gulf Coast League affiliate and potentially even another before settling back into a normal routine in Class AA or Class AAA.

Jake Kaplan