Clint Barmes went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Houston's 5-2 win against the Phillies on Tuesday.

He also doubled and scored two runs. Barmes' 11th home run of the season was his seventh since the All-Star break. Batting .252/.326/.399, Barmes has likely bought himself another year in the big leagues. He has multi-hit games in three of his last four contests, raising his average from .243.

Clint Barmes went 2-for-2 with a solo home run in Houston's loss to the Pirates on Wednesday.

Barmes' 10th home run of the season was his sixth since the All-Star break. Batting .249/.324/.388, Barmes has likely bought himself another year in the big leagues.

According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, some teams have been told that Clint Barmes is not available.

We can't see why that would be the case. Barmes would be an excellent fit for a team like the Brewers, so the Astros would surely change their stance if the right offer comes along. The 32-year-old enters play Friday batting .254/.319/.399 with seven homers and 21 RBI over 297 plate appearances this season and has experience at shortstop, second base and third. He will be a free agent this winter.

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports that the Brewers have maintained their interest in Astros' infielder Clint Barmes.

The Brewers would love to make a big splash with Carlos Beltran, but Barmes is a more realistic target considering the barren state of their farm system. The 32-year-old is batting .250/.317/.385 with six homers and 19 RBI over 260 at-bats this season, but could be an alternative to either Yuniesky Betancourt at shortstop or Casey McGehee at third base. He will be a free agent following the season.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the Brewers "have had some internal discussions" about the Astros' Clint Barmes.

It, of course, in no way means they are legitimately pursuing him, but it's clear the Brewers are turning over every stone in search of an upgrade at shortstop. Barmes is batting just .250/.320/.383 with five homers over 240 at-bats this season and would be only a minimal upgrade over Yuniesky Betancourt.

Clint Barmes homered and knocked in three runs in a win Tuesday against the Nationals.

He was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. It was his fifth homer of the season. Barmes is hitting .250/.320/.383 on the year, certainly not great numbers but an improvement over his usual .300 OBP.

Clint Barmes homered and walked twice Saturday against the Padres.

It's nice to see Barmes showing some patience at the plate for once: he's walked 16 times in 32 games since coming off the disabled list. Consider that in 2008, he walked 17 times in 107 games for the season. His career high for walks is 35. Barmes is hitting just .237, but at least it's coming with a solid .346 OBP instead of his usual .300.

Clint Barmes went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Houston's loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Through his first 88 at-bats in an Astros uniform, Barmes is batting .216 with one home run and four RBI, and looking like a marginal fantasy option in even very deep NL-only leagues. Now 32 years of age and outside the thin air of Colorado, there's not much reason to believe he'll play much better than this going forward.

Clint Barmes hit a solo home run and drew two walks in Houston's loss to the Mets on Sunday.

The home run was Barmes' first of the season, and helped up his .182 average to .196. No longer in the thin air of Colorado, Barmes probably isn't going to be of much help in your NL-only league.

Astros activated SS Clint Barmes from the 15-day disabled list.

Barmes fractured his hand late in spring training and went 6-for-15 (.400) during a rehab assignment to show the Astros he was ready to roll. He'll take over as the primary shortstop, with Angel Sanchez sliding into a utility role.

Clint Barmes (hand) played seven innings Tuesday and went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a double in his second minor league rehab game with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Barmes is 2-for-6 over his first two games with the RedHawks. Barring any setbacks, he should be activated from the disabled list for Friday's game against the Brewers.

Clint Barmes (hand) went 1-for-2 with a walk Monday in his first minor league rehab game with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Barmes could return from the disabled list as soon as Friday against the Brewers. He has been sidelined since suffering a fracture on his left hand when he was hit by a pitch during the final week of spring training.

Clint Barmes (hand) could return from the disabled list as soon as Friday.

Barmes was scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Monday with Triple-A Round Rock. He'll play shortstop and bat No. 2 in Brad Mills' lineup upon his return.

Clint Barmes (hand) will begin a minor league rehab assignment Monday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Barmes was originally expected to begin his rehab stint on Sunday, so he has been pushed back one day. He's on track to return near the end of the month and should take the starting shortstop job away from Angel Sanchez, who has struggled following a hot start with the bat.

Clint Barmes (hand) will begin a rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Barmes has been cleared to participate in full baseball activities and will fit in a few more workouts before reporting to OKC. He's on track to return before the end of April and should immediately take over starting shortstop duties for the Astros. Angel Sanchez got off to a hot start but has not been able to maintain that pace.

Clint Barmes (hand) hit soft tosses in the batting cage Tuesday.

"It felt great," said Barmes, who fractured his left hand last month. "It was the first time going through all this that there wasn't any soreness. It felt very good. So I actually let it go, 100 percent swings. Still going through with the trainers the daily progress that they want me to, so they didn't let me do too much." Barmes could be cleared to go out on a minor league rehab assignment as soon as this weekend. There's still a chance he'll return before the end of the month.

Clint Barmes will undergo an X-ray Monday to evaluate his progress from a broken left hand.

Barmes recently began hitting off a tee with a fungo bat and was scheduled to take some soft tosses with the fungo bat Friday. "I backed it off a couple of days just because it got pretty sore after I jumped in with the guys and started taking some ground balls," said Barmes. "Now I'm having no problems playing catch or fielding ground balls and hitting off a tee with a fungo [Thursday], and it felt good." Barmes was initially expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury, but there's some optimism that he could return by the end of the month.

Clint Barmes swung a bat Monday for the first time since fracturing his left hand last month.

"It's definitely getting better day to day," said Barmes, who took about 20 swings. "Dry swinging today, it was still sore and I could still feel it, but it's getting stronger. I can do a lot more with my hand in the weight room and can grip more things. It's definitely heading in the right direction." He could make his Astros' debut by the end of the month.

Clint Barmes (fractured hand) was cleared to play catch after Friday's X-ray.

"It was sore, but I didn't expect to come out and feel 100 percent on my first day," Barmes said. "It was great to be out on the field with a glove on my hand." Barmes will take some dry swings on Monday. He's still hoping to return by the end of the month.

Clint Barmes (fractured hand) has been cleared to play catch and take dry swings.

Barmes underwent an X-ray earlier in the day Friday which showed healing. The 32-year-old broke a bone in his left hand when he was hit with a pitch towards the end of spring training. Barring any setbacks, he should return later this month.