Astros To Activate Josh Hader

The Astros announced yesterday that righty Logan VanWey was being optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. The team didn’t specify a corresponding move, noting that a transaction would be announced Tuesday. Manager Joe Espada now tells SportsTalk 790’s Matt Thomas that closer Josh Hader will be reinstated from the injured list and active for tonight’s game. Hader is on the 60-day IL, so in addition to VanWey’s option, Houston will need to open a 40-man roster spot. That can be achieved simply by transferring Carlos Correa to the 60-day IL following his season-ending ankle surgery, however.

Hader’s 2025 season ended in mid-August due to a capsule strain in his left shoulder. He didn’t end up requiring surgery and was even hopeful of being able to return at some point during a potential postseason run. The Astros wound up falling shy of the playoffs, so we never found out whether he’d have been able to do so.

The plan for Hader was a mostly normal offseason. General manager Dana Brown said in mid-November that his closer had already thrown off a mound three times. The hope organization hoped to have the multi-time All-Star back in the Opening Day mix. That might well have been the case based on Hader’s shoulder alone, but he began experiencing biceps pain early in spring training. He was eventually diagnosed with tendinitis, ruled out for Opening Day, and has now missed more than two months of the season.

Hader has pitched well for most of his minor league rehab stint. The 32-year-old breezed through his first seven appearances, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk with 11 punchouts in seven frames. He was roughed up a bit in his final two outings, yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits and a pair of walks without a strikeout. That nudged his minor league ERA up to 4.15, but the bulk of his work between Double-A and Triple-A is reason for encouragement.

It’s worth noting that Hader’s sinker has averaged 93.9 mph in Triple-A — well shy of last year’s 95.5 mph, which was already his lowest mark since 2020. He’s very likely still building up velocity after a long layoff and a pair of fairly notable arm issues, so it’s not a major warning light, but it’ll still be worth keeping an eye on his velocity in the early stages of his return. Hader had no problem missing bats even back in 2017-18, when his sinker was sitting 94.4 mph, but he pushed that average up to 96.4 mph over a four-year period from ’21-’24.

Hader’s return should be a substantial boon for an Astros bullpen that has been pieced together for much of the season. Bryan Abreu was a natural fill-in for Hader in the ninth inning after last year’s dominant performance in a setup role — or so it seemed. Abreu, however, has lost about three miles per hour off his heater this year, dropping from an average of 97.3 mph to 94.8 mph. He stumbled through an abysmal April before getting better results in May, but Abreu’s velocity isn’t any better now than it was in March — and he’s walked nearly 24% of his opponents this season. He doesn’t look close to his former self.

Houston has also seen at least modest steps back from key relievers like Steven Okert and Bryan King. Both have comparable ERAs to last season but with diminished rate stats. Lefty Bennett Sousa, who posted a 2.84 ERA in 50 2/3 frames last year, has pitched 3 1/3 innings this season and is on the injured list due to elbow inflammation.

All of that has conspired to leave Houston relievers with a major league-worst 5.16 ERA on the season. The Astros’ bullpen is tied for the sixth-lowest strikeout rate in baseball (20.5%) and has the third-highest walk rate (12.4%). It’s a major reason the team finds itself seven games under .500. Getting Hader back in the fold should help protect late leads, but he’s only one of several high-end contributors whose absence has helped dig a brutal hole for the ‘Stros to try to escape in the two months leading up to this year’s Aug. 3 trade deadline.