The Astros announced that they have placed infielder Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a grade 1 hamstring strain. Right-hander Tatsuya Imai has been placed on the 15-day IL due to right arm fatigue. Both of those IL placements are retroactive to April 12th. Right-hander Jayden Murray has been optioned to the Triple-A Sugar Land. In corresponding moves for those three, Houston has recalled left-hander Colton Gordon, right-hander J.P. France and infielder/outfielder Shay Whitcomb. France was just optioned and would normally have to wait 15 days before being recalled but an exception is made when someone is going on the IL.
At this point, there hasn’t been anything to indicate that either injury is particularly serious. However, the double blow is notable when considering the larger context. The team has already suffered a number of injuries and two more won’t help.
Peña departed Saturday’s game with an injury. The team initially announced the issue as right posterior knee tightness, though it appears further testing has found a hamstring strain. The Astros lost their center fielder a few days earlier, as Jake Meyers suffered an oblique strain. Now they will be without their everyday shortstop as well.
Losing Peña isn’t a good thing but the only silver lining is that it will be easier to spread playing time around to the club’s other infielders. Christian Walker has played almost every day at first base and the same is true of Jose Altuve at second base. Carlos Correa has been at third most days but has also taken over at short a few times to give Peña a day off. Isaac Paredes has slotted in at third when Correa has been at short and has also taken some time as the designated hitter when Yordan Alvarez is the DH.
With Peña now on the shelf for a bit, it’s possible the Astros could stabilize things by having Correa at short regularly, allowing Paredes to cover third on an everyday basis. That would mean less time in the field for Alvarez.
Losing Imai is potentially more impactful, even though he’s less established in the big leagues than Peña. Most of Houston’s injuries have been on the pitching side, so another domino falling there is worrisome. Both Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier have been felled by shoulder strains in recent weeks and now Imai is also on the shelf.
Losing three starting pitchers in quick succession is never good but it’s particularly poor timing in this case. The Astros are three games into a stretch of playing 13 in a row. They had planned to use a six-man rotation to get through that stretch, at least in part to accommodate Imai. Pitchers in Japan normally pitch once a week, as opposed to the five-day rotation that is common in North America. Using six starters for the 13 straight games would have helped Imai stay on a schedule he’s accustomed to while he’s still new to Major League Baseball.
Imai started on Friday in Seattle but didn’t make it out of the first inning. He walked the first two batters, allowed a single, threw a wild pitch, walked another batter, hit a guy with a pitch, induced a groundout and then walked another batter. He had already thrown 37 pitches and had recorded just one out when the Astros pulled him. The next day, he left the team for Houston to undergo testing for his fatigue. There’s no real information about his status but the Astros will proceed without him for at least a couple of weeks.
France, Ryan Weiss and Steven Okert combined to absorb 6 2/3 innings after Imai departed, with Enyel De Los Santos throwing in an inning as well. France was then optioned with Murray recalled. Lance McCullers Jr. took the ball on Saturday and lasted 4 1/3, with five relievers pitching after him. Yesterday, Cody Bolton started but only lasted one inning before he was removed due to back tightness. Murray pitched two innings in relief and Christian Roa took on 2 2/3, while two other relievers pitched shorter outings.
It’s already been quite a taxing few days for the club, with still ten games to go before their next day off. Mike Burrows is starting today’s game. After that, it’s fairly up in the air. Weiss, France and Roa are somewhat stretched out from their recent long relief work and could chip in. Spencer Arrighetti, Miguel Ullola and Jason Alexander are on optional assignment and could be recalled, though Alexander just threw six innings at Triple-A yesterday while Ullola threw 2 2/3 on Saturday. Arrighetti’s last outing was six innings on April 9th, so he could be next up.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
And Arrighetti is mowing them down in AAA, while lesser pitchers get the call. Our management is clueless!
Your an Astro fan? I mean, I’m just surprised that an Astro fan has that username.
I thought the same. Replace Arrighetti with the Martian, and lesser pitchers with lesser position players, and you have a Yankee fan.
Right? They should listen to you, random couch guy!
Depends entirely on who’s scheduled to throw when.
Holy smokes, that rotation’s in tatters.
Recalling Gordon was the right idea. France bolsters the bullpen. The logjam is taking care of itself (not saying injures are good though).
Least France is getting his airline miles for the year
@hammer
But … Triple-AAA Sugar Land is just a 5-10 minute drive to Daikin Park, Houston. No airlines needed.
Except Houston is currently playing in Seattle hence my joke
Imai crazy or is the Astro rotation a bit banged up right now?
Only silver lining now is that the last time they lost 7 in a row was a year they went to the World Series
“as also taken some time as the designated hitter when Yordan Alvarez is the DH.”
WHAT?
Imai a victim of the dreaded Suckitis™. A very debilitating affliction
Imai – The only fatigue was from the front office watching his ERA balloon.
Give me something for the pain and let me die