Astros and INF Jeff Keppinger avoided arbitration Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.3 million contract.

Keppinger was arbitration-eligible for the second time and gained a $1 million-plus raise from the $1.15 million salary that he earned in 2010. The infielder underwent foot surgery last week and is not expected to be ready by the start of the season. He'll serve as a utilityman once healthy.

Jeff Keppinger underwent successful foot surgery last week.

Doctors have recommended that he not play in live action games for the next three months, meaning he won't be ready by Opening Day. But he should be good to go by the end of April. Keppinger posted a decent .288/.351/.393 batting line in 2010 and will be a utility infielder this year.

Jeff Keppinger will undergo surgery on his left foot on January 14.

The recovery timetable is still 3-4 months, meaning Keppinger could very easily miss the beginning of the season. Bill Hall will be the starter at second base regardless of Keppinger's status.

Jeff Keppinger will have surgery on his left foot next week and is likely to miss the beginning of the season.

Keppinger will undergo surgery to remove the sesamoid bone, which is near the big toe. The surgery is usually 100 percent successful, but Astros general manager Ed Wade said the recovery time will take anywhere from three to four months. Keppinger wasn't projected to be in the starting lineup for the Astros this season, but the surgery effectively nixes any chance of a trade.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Yankees' efforts to land Jeff Keppinger from the Astros "went nowhere."

The Yankees viewed Keppinger as a potential utility player, but assuming that talks are now dead, they will consider other options for the role. With that in mind, Rosenthal hears that Eduardo Nunez has been playing third base in the Dominican Republic. The 23-year-old played 15 games at third with the Yankees last season, but has spent the majority of his professional career as a shortstop.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Yankees have spoken with the Astros about acquiring infielder Jeff Keppinger.

The Astros are in financial trouble and trying to get younger as a whole, so they put Keppinger on the market earlier this month. He posted a fine .288/.351/.393 batting line in 2010 and can still play good defense at second base and shortstop. The Yanks may want him as a utility infielder.

The Astros are looking to trade infielder Jeff Keppinger.

Keppinger turned in a decent .288/.351/.393 batting line in 2010 while playing solid defense at second base and shortstop. He's a nice player and fits the Astros well, but they're in financial trouble as an organization and are looking to dump salary. Keppinger is eligible for arbitration and is in line for a raise over the $1.15 million that he earned this year.

Jeff Keppinger went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a walk Thursday against the Nationals.

He did ground into a game-ending double play in the ninth, so it wasn't all roses. Still, a nice day. He's hitting .307 with an 11/25 K/BB ratio in 166 at-bats since the All-Star break.

Jeff Keppinger went 2-for-5 with one run and one RBI in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Cubs.

Keppinger has been solid since coming off the DL a week ago. In seven games, he is hitting .321 with five RBI and six runs. Still, he remains a weak option that is only on the radar in deep NL-only formats.

Astros manager Brad Mills said Monday that Jeff Keppinger (toe) is likely to be activated from the disabled list on Wednesday.

Keppinger completed a two-game rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi this week, finishing 2-for-5 with a walk and an RBI. The Astros will wait until rosters expand Wednesday before officially activating him. The infielder has been sidelined with a fractured left toe since mid-August.

Jeff Keppinger (toe) will begin a minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday.

He's expected to stay there through Monday. He'll likely be activated as soon as he is eligible towards the middle of next week. Keppinger has been sidelined since fracturing his left toe on August 16.

Astros placed INF Jeff Keppinger on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 17, with a fractured toe.

Keppinger underwent X-rays earlier this week that revealed the break in his toe. It's not clear why the Astros waited so long to place him on the disabled list, but he's likely to spend at least a month on it.

X-rays revealed a fracture in Jeff Keppinger's left toe.

The team is still waiting on MRI results, but it sure sounds like he could be headed for the disabled list. Geoff Blum is starting at second base on Tuesday night.

Astros general manager Ed Wade said that Jeff Keppinger could have a small fracture in his left toe.

"He got an X-ray done and now they're going to do an MRI to see what's going on in there," said Wade. "There's a possibility he's got a small fracture. Whether it's an old fracture or new fracture, they'll be able to ascertain that once he gets the MRI done." We should know more about a potential DL stint relatively soon. Geoff Blum will start in his place Tuesday.

Jeff Keppinger went 2-for-5 with four RBI in Monday's win over St. Louis.

The second baseman had just an RBI groundout in his first three at-bats, but he doubled in a run in the eight and singled in two more in the ninth in the Astros' come from behind win. Keppinger has three multi-hit games over his last four contests and is now batting .293 on the season.

Jeff Keppinger (back) returned to the lineup Friday night and promptly hit his fifth homer of the year.

Keppinger had been out since leaving Tuesday's game early with some lower back tightness. He finished tonight 2-for-2 with the lone RBI coming on the solo shot. Keppinger has come on in July with a .337 average and four home runs, but he's bound to cool off down the stretch. Losing Lance Berkman's bat in the lineup won't help.

Jeff Keppinger left Tuesday's game against the Cubs after seven innings due to lower back tightness.

Keppinger was 0-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a run scored before exiting. Anderson Hernandez replaced him at second base.

Jeff Keppinger finished 3-for-5 with four RBI in the Astros' 7-3 defeat of the Rockies on Wednesday night.

Keppinger was batting second in the Astros' lineup again and made it work against all odds. The infielder drove in Michael Bourn with a double in the first inning and hit a bases-loaded three-run double in the eighth, boosting his average to .283 and his RBI total to 16.

Jeff Keppinger finished 2-for-4 with three RBI Wednesday to lift the Astros over the Cardinals 9-6.

Keppinger was batting second in the Astros' lineup, and may have been the worst No. 2 hitter in the majors Wednesday night, but he had no trouble with St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse. The infielder is batting .260 this year with 12 RBI and continues to share time with Kaz Matsui at second base.

Astros manager Brad Mills declined to name either Jeff Keppinger or Kazuo Matsui his starting second baseman on Sunday.

It almost doesn't matter at this point, until Keppinger's bat cools off. It's not as though Houston is going to bench him while he is raking, especially when taking into consideration the struggles of those around him. "We're still just a dozen games into the season," Mills said when asked about the situation. "Let's wait and see how everything plays out. I'm cognizant to get (Matsui) out there and get him on a roll. It's tough, but it's tough to not get the other guy (Keppinger) out there." Keppinger is batting .355/.429/.484 in 35 plate appearances. NL-only players should pounce on him if he's still available. Matsui, meanwhile, has a .190 OPS in 22 plate appearances.