Astros infielder Isaac Paredes resumed baseball activities this week, taking batting practice and doing light infield work before Wednesday’s game against the Yankees (link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Paredes has been out since shortly after the All-Star Break with a hamstring strain that threatens his season.
It still appears to be a long shot that the two-time All-Star will make it back. The injury was severe enough that surgery was a legitimate consideration. Paredes opted for non-surgical rehab in hope of contributing to a playoff race. He’s progressing well so far, but neither Paredes nor manager Joe Espada is ready to handicap his odds of coming back this year.
Paredes was one of the team’s top hitters before the injury. He connected on 19 home runs with a .259/.359/.470 slash through 409 plate appearances. The Astros would love to get his bat back in October. That’s true even though he no longer has a simple path to everyday playing time. Houston added Carlos Correa to play third base in their surprise deadline deal with Minnesota. Christian Walker has picked things up at first base. Yordan Alvarez is back at designated hitter.
Paredes conceded he might be limited to DH even if he can make it back to hit. They’d need to decide whether to use him off the bench or live with Alvarez’s defense in left field. That’s a far off consideration. They’ll continue to monitor Paredes’ progress before sorting out how they’d arrange their lineup if he makes it back.
They wouldn’t have nearly as many questions about how to use Josh Hader. Houston’s closer is trying to make an October return from a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder. Espada said this afternoon that follow-up imaging this week showed healing but that Hader remains shut down from throwing (relayed by Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). Bryan Abreu has stepped into the closer’s role. That initially went well, but the righty has given up three runs in each of his last two appearances. Subtracting Abreu from the setup corps — plus an intervening elbow injury for Bennett Sousa — has strained the bullpen depth as the playoffs approach.
The pitching staff took yet another hit on Wednesday when starter Spencer Arrighetti landed on the injured list with elbow inflammation. That rules him out until at least September 15. With the regular season ending less than two weeks later, Espada admitted it’s unlikely Arrighetti will be back during the regular season (link via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart). The manager didn’t close the door on a playoff comeback. The second-year righty might’ve been a fringe candidate for the postseason roster even at full health, though. Throwing him into the playoffs after an absence of at least a month would be risky.
Houston was planning to deploy a six-man rotation. Arrighetti’s injury could change that. Their starters for all three games of this weekend’s series in Texas are still to be announced.
Who’s next, Altuve, Brown, Abreu? It seems like every important cog for the Astros has been injured this year. If the Mariners or Rangers start playing up to their abilities the grip Houston has on the division could come to end.
Not really sure that Texas team without Semien, Seager, Mahle, Carter, Eovaldo or Garcia is capable of catching Houston. Rangers are playing a AAA player at second base and a AA player in leftfield haha. The Mariners might run them down but certainly not Texas.
Texas has lost all of their players so they only have Bruce bochy
Mariners are playing like the pirates and just got swept in Tampa
Houston could lose 2 more guys and still win the division
The thing that kills me about Texas is how everybody seemed to forget how to hit at once. I mean those are some very quality names they have in that lineup and I look at the OPS of most of them and it’s like what happened?
Seattle? I don’t know, management? They have the players.
Lol