WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Broader duties mean Dana Brown isn’t a constant presence during the Houston Astros’ spring training workouts, but when the longtime scout wants to reprise his past, he’ll emerge from a second-floor office and lay eyes on members of his roster.

Two weeks ago, Brown turned his attention toward one of his offseason trade acquisitions. He ambled toward an agility field where Dylan Coleman played catch and, on the way, remarked to a nearby reporter: “We have to get him right.”

Brown arrived at spring training anticipating Coleman would make an impact in the middle of Houston’s bullpen. Here, he just hoped to see him throw strikes. Brown followed Coleman toward the bullpen, where Brown watched two views of the lanky right-handed reliever — one from behind the catcher and another behind the pitcher himself.

“Coleman’s got the stuff,” Brown said a few days later. “He definitely has his stuff, but he’s got to just pinpoint the command a little bit better.”

Brown signed baseball’s best closer this winter, but opted not to fortify the bridge to him. Spending $95 million on Josh Hader didn’t solve the depth issue still present in a Houston bullpen that lost 207 1/3 innings from last season.

Brown and his lieutenants believed Coleman could help. The team acquired him from the Kansas City Royals this winter and Brown mentioned him in almost every conversation concerning Houston’s bullpen this spring.

Words and actions suggest Coleman had a wide open path to crack the club’s Opening Day roster. On Thursday, it became apparent he would not.

Optioning Coleman to minor-league camp offered the first bit of clarity for Houston’s muddled middle relief situation — but did nothing to diminish the concern surrounding it.

Hader, Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu will comprise one of baseball’s most feared back ends, but the trio can’t pitch every day. Hader hasn’t recorded more than three outs in a regular-season game since Aug. 14, 2020, either.

That this is Houston’s biggest spring training question illustrates how charmed the club is. Every team has concerns about its middle relief. A few poor Grapefruit League outings by Coleman shouldn’t heighten them dramatically, but Houston is choosing from a crop of relievers with almost identical track records as him — those with tantalizing upsides derailed by inexperience or ineffectiveness.

Veteran relievers remained available on the free-agent market well into spring training — including former Astro Ryne Stanek, whom Houston checked in on before he signed with the Seattle Mariners. Over the weekend, Brown told MLB Network Radio that the team is discussing trades to address its middle relief deficiency: a departure from his previous comments, perhaps precipitated by some things he’s seen this spring.

“We just have to figure out who’s pitching in the middle for us in the bullpen.” #Astros GM Dana Brown may not be done making moves 👀@Astros | #Relentless | #SpringTrainingTour pic.twitter.com/BxGUGNKuXy

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) March 10, 2024

Barring injuries, Hader, Abreu, Pressly and Rafael Montero are guaranteed spots in Houston’s bullpen. Ronel Blanco is nearing certainty, too, especially with Justin Verlander still nursing his shoulder injury and starting depth scarce. Brandon Bielak, the team’s other piece of starting depth, is out of minor-league options and Houston does not want to lose him on waivers.

Blanco and Bielak profile more as long relievers than traditional, one-inning leverage options, though Bielak has been exposed to more of those outings this spring. Coleman’s departure leaves Seth Martinez and Bennett Sousa as the most logical options to make the Opening Day roster. Non-roster invitees Tayler Scott and Drew Strotman are in the mix, too.

Coleman threw 4 1/3 innings across five Grapefruit League appearances. He walked eight batters and hit another. Four of the five appearances featured at least one walk. Coleman didn’t issue one during Wednesday’s 6-5 loss against the Mets, but did yield a solo home run to Mark Vientos. A day later, Espada informed Coleman of his demotion.

“I still think that he’s part of the plan, part of the future,” Espada said. “I think he struggled a bit throwing the ball in the zone, but the goal is to get him back on track. The conversation went very well.”

Pitching coach Josh Miller called Coleman’s outing on Wednesday “a step in the right direction” and one the club hopes can catalyze a turnaround. Coleman boasts an elite arsenal — a four-seam fastball that has touched 98 mph and a sweeper that generated a 40 percent whiff rate during each of the past two seasons.

Throwing any of it in the strike zone is a bigger challenge, one the Astros should have anticipated given Coleman’s career-long track record. He’s walked 5.5 batters per nine innings across 92 2/3 major-league innings and 5.1 per nine during 146 frames in the minor leagues.

After Coleman’s first two Grapefruit League outings, Houston’s pitching coaches found something awry in how Coleman came set that impacted his direction toward the plate.

“(I’m) way, way too rotational and flying open. I’m landing open,” Coleman said after his second Grapefruit League outing. “Where I’m missing is where I’m aiming. The direction has to be more straight. … It’s not fluid. It feels sticky, herky-jerky.”

Earlier in camp, Coleman acknowledged he combated the same flaws “all last year” with the Royals. Astros assistant pitching coach Bill Murphy diagnosed the problem “so quick, in like a day.” Miller said some of Coleman’s subsequent outings showed some improvement, but obviously not enough to maintain his spot in major-league camp.

“The stuff is really good,” Espada said. “He competes, he wants it, we just need to get him to throw the ball in the zone more.”

He’ll attempt it in minor-league camp as the major-league team continues to combat its biggest question. Perhaps at some point, Coleman can provide an answer.

(Photo of Dylan Coleman: Rich Storry / Getty Images)