Astros Rumors

Astros Place Justin Verlander On IL With Calf Injury

By Darragh McDonald | August 30, 2022 at 1:45pm CDT

The Astros announced a series of roster moves today, the most notable of those being Justin Verlander’s placement on the 15-day injured list. Verlander, whose IL placement is retroactive to August 29, left his last start due to calf discomfort. Additionally, outfielder Jake Meyers was optioned to Triple-A. To take the two open rosters spots, righty Brandon Bielak and first baseman/outfielder J.J. Matijevic were recalled.

Verlander, 39, pitched only six innings in 2020 and missed the entire 2021 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. He held a showcase in the offseason and showed enough promise that the Astros were willing to give him a $25MM salary this year, despite that length layoff. Up until this calf issue popped up, Verlander was pitching beyond just about everyone’s expectations for a 39-year-old returning from such a lengthy absence. Through 152 innings over 24 starts, he’s currently sporting a 1.84 ERA with a 26.5% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and 38.6% ground ball rate.

His fantastic comeback season will have to take a pause, at least for a little while. It doesn’t seem as though anyone is expecting a lengthy absence, based on the word coming from members of the organization today. A team announcement said that Verlander’s MRI showed “fascial disruption, but no muscle fiber disruption,” as relayed by Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.

Astros general manager James Click spoke to the media to provide more context, generally downplaying the significance of the issue. (Twitter links from Rome.) “This was relatively good news, is my understanding,” Click said. “Our hope and expectation is that this should be relatively short-term.” Verlander himself then spoke on the matter, with Rome relaying some more quotes on Twitter. “The doctors said there was an injury, but when it comes to calf injuries, I feel like I really kind of dodged a bullet here where the muscle isn’t involved,” Verlander said. He then added that he’s disappointed to have to go to the IL, but provided the caveat that “on the spectrum of calf injuries go, this is as good of news as I could have gotten.” He also added that, had his muscle fibers been injured, he would have been shut down for weeks, missing the rest of the season and possibly some of the playoffs.

All in all, it seems everyone involved feels Verlander can make a quick return, which would be great for both him and the team. In the short-term, there’s no reason for the Astros to panic, as their 82-47 record is the best in the American League, 11 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners in the West division. They are also effectively guaranteed to earn one of the two byes through the first round of the playoffs, as they are four games ahead of the East-leading Yankees and 13 1/2 games ahead of the Central-leading Guardians. Even without Verlander, the rotation should be in good shape, with Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier still in place. In the long-term, the ’Stros will surely be hoping that the issue passes quick enough for Verlander to return for postseason action. There are just over five weeks remaining on the regular season schedule.

Verlander’s return could also have an impact on his offseason, as he could be returning to free agency. By surpassing 130 innings pitched this year, he vested a $25MM player option for 2023. Since he just got $25MM after two lost seasons, it stands to reason that he could surpass that number on the heels of his excellent campaign here in 2022. Based on that logic, it seems likely that he would turn down that option and return to the open market, especially if he can come back healthy and show no ill effects of this calf issue. On the other hand, if the next few weeks don’t go quite as smoothly as hoped and the injury persists, it could have a negative effect on his market this winter.

As for Meyers, 26, he had a nice debut for Houston last year, hitting .260/.323/.438 in 49 games. However, he hasn’t been able to carry that forward into 2022, as he’s slashed .209/.255/.302 for the year so far. Houston was rumored to be looking for center field upgrades at the deadline but didn’t end up pulling the trigger on a deal. Based on those slouching numbers, Meyers will be sent down to the minors to try to get back on track. Mauricio Dubon and Chas McCormick seem to be ticketed for the work in the middle of the grass without Meyers, with Rome relaying word from Click.

Astros To Promote Hunter Brown, Yainer Diaz

By Anthony Franco | August 29, 2022 at 9:02pm CDT

The Astros are set to bring up two of their most talented young players in the coming days. Both Hunter Brown and Yainer Diaz are reportedly getting their first major league calls. Brown’s promotion is expected to come when active rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on Thursday, while the specific timing of Diaz’s call isn’t clear.

It’s a fantastic birthday present for Brown, who turned 24 today. A fifth-round pick out of Wayne State University in 2019, Brown has outperformed that relatively modest draft status. He struggled with his control late in his draft year, and his first full professional season was wiped out by the pandemic. The Detroit native began the 2021 campaign in Double-A and generally overpowered upper level hitters. He fanned 35% of opponents and induced ground-balls at a quality 47.7% clip to earn a midseason bump to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Brown returned to the Space Cowboys to open the 2022 campaign. He’s spent the whole year there, working 106 innings over 23 outings (14 starts). He’s posted a 2.55 ERA that is the lowest mark among the 50 Pacific Coast League hurlers with at least 60 frames. Brown has punched out an impressive 31.5% of batters faced and racked up grounders at a huge 54.2% clip. His 10.6% walk rate is a couple points higher than average, but the combination of strikeouts and grounders hints at the elite stuff he brandishes.

Baseball America recently placed Brown as the sport’s #40 overall minor league talent. BA credits the right-hander with a plus-plus fastball (a 70 on the scouting scale) that sits in the mid-90s and can reach 99 MPH. The outlet praises his plus low-80s curveball and suggests both his slider and changeup could be average MLB offerings. With that kind of arsenal, it’s little surprise Brown has racked up strikeouts in the minors, but evaluators raise questions about his strike-throwing consistency. Whether he’ll have good enough command to stick in an MLB rotation long-term remains to be seen, but it seems likelier the club will break him into the majors as a possible relief weapon for the stretch run.

Houston has a bit of uncertainty in the starting staff at the moment. Luis Garcia has struggled of late, while Justin Verlander is set to undergo an MRI after leaving yesterday’s start with calf discomfort. Even if Verlander requires an injured list stint — which hasn’t yet been determined — the club could work Cristian Javier back into a rotation with Framber Valdez, José Urquidy, Lance McCullers Jr. and Garcia. Brown’s ability to work with high-octane stuff for multiple innings could make him a key bullpen piece for manager Dusty Baker, and September could serve as an audition for a spot on the club’s postseason rosters.

Brown’s promotion is the headlining news for Houston, but Diaz’s call-up also marks a noteworthy transaction. A right-handed hitting catcher, Diaz was acquired from Cleveland in last summer’s deadline trade that sent Myles Straw for Phil Maton. Not generally regarded as a huge piece of the deal at the time, the native of the Dominican Republic played out the 2021 campaign in High-A. Despite a massive showing at the plate, he was left off the 40-man roster last winter and would’ve been available to other clubs had the Rule 5 draft not been canceled due to the lockout.

Remarkably, Diaz has gone from being left unprotected to one of the organization’s top prospects in a matter of months. BA placed him as the organization’s #2 farmhand on their midseason re-ranking of the system, while Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs slotted him third among Houston’s minor leaguers last month. Both outlets praise his offensive upside, noting that he’s primarily a bat-first catcher. That’s been fully on display during what has been a breakout season in the upper levels.

Diaz began the season in Double-A Corpus Christi. He hit .316/.367/.504 over 267 plate appearances, earning a bump to Sugar Land in late June. The 23-year-old has continued to mash, posting a .294/.342/.587 showing with 16 longballs in 219 trips to the dish. Diaz has only struck out in 16.3% of his plate appearances while posting a cumulative .306/.356/.542 line to earn his first crack at big league pitching. With Martín Maldonado and Christian Vázquez on hand, Baker doesn’t figure to pencil Diaz in behind the dish very often. He’s gotten some looks at first base and very briefly in the corner outfield this season, and he’ll add a bench bat with the ability to catch or work in around the corners as needed.

Each of Brown and Diaz would’ve been eligible for the Rule 5 this winter if not added to the 40-man roster. They were thus locks to be put on the roster at the end of the year at the latest, but Houston will take an early look at two of their top young players to see if they can potentially contribute to this year’s playoff team. Houston’s 40-man roster is full, so they’ll need to create a pair of vacancies there even with the upcoming expansion of the active roster.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported Brown was being promoted. Mark Berman of Fox 26 was first to report Diaz’s promotion.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Justin Verlander Undergoing MRI To Evaluate Calf Injury

By Mark Polishuk | August 29, 2022 at 11:40am CDT

Aug. 29: Verlander will undergo an MRI today to further evaluate the injury, manager Dusty Baker told reporters (link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

Aug. 28: Justin Verlander threw only three innings and 60 pitches before leaving today’s start against the Orioles due to right calf discomfort. It was Verlander’s shortest outing and lowest pitch count of the season.

More will be known about the right-hander’s condition after the game, and presumably after the Astros medical staff runs a battery of tests on Verlander’s calf. At least for now, the team’s description of the injury as just “discomfort” is a good sign, as there was no immediately apparent strain.

The Astros have off-days on both Monday and Thursday this week, so unless Verlander’s issue turns out be very minor, Houston can skip his next turn in the rotation without any larger reshuffling within the pitching staff. Of course, the Astros have arguably the sport’s best and deepest pitching staff, so if Verlander had to visit the injured list, Cristian Javier could step right back into starting duty after his recent move to the bullpen. While a short-term fill-in situation is no problem, naturally losing Verlander for any significant length of time would be a severe blow to the Astros and their chances of a return trip to the World Series.

After Tommy John surgery forced Verlander to miss virtually all of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he has returned at age-39 to post one of the very best seasons of his already legendary career. Verlander entered today’s action with a MLB-leading 1.87 ERA over 149 innings, showing no ill effects from his two-year layoff and looking like a favorite to capture the AL Cy Young Award (which would be the third CYA of Verlander’s career).

Astros Notes: Pressly, Verlander, Javier

By Anthony Franco | August 25, 2022 at 8:42pm CDT

The Astros placed closer Ryan Pressly on the 15-day injured list this afternoon, retroactive to August 22, with neck spasms. Righty Seth Martinez was recalled to take the vacated active roster spot. Pressly has been unavailable for the past couple games dealing with stiffness in his neck, and the issue is apparently severe enough it’ll take him out of commission for at least a couple weeks. The club hasn’t provided a more specific timetable on his return.

Pressly has excelled again this season, continuing along as one of the sport’s top late-game relievers. Through 37 2/3 innings on the year, the right-hander owns a 3.11 ERA with an excellent 32.2% strikeout percentage and just a 6.3% walk rate. His 44.2% ground-ball rate is the lowest mark in his four full seasons in Houston, but the two-time All-Star has more than offset that with elite swing-and-miss stuff. He’s gotten a whiff on 17.1% of his pitches, the 13th-highest rate among 214 relievers with 30+ innings pitched.

More out of Houston:

Justin Verlander chatted with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic earlier this week, discussing his progression back from the Tommy John surgery that wiped out virtually all of his 2020-21 seasons. The future Hall of Famer has put himself firmly in the conversation for a third career Cy Young award, posting an MLB-best 1.87 ERA over 23 starts. Verlander hasn’t looked at all fazed by his lack of innings over the prior two seasons, as he’s soaked up 149 frames (the 12th most in MLB). He’s already surpassed the 130-inning threshold to vest a player option in his deal that could keep him in Houston for $25MM next season. With how well he’s performed, however, he seems all but certain to forego that provision and retest the open market in search of an annual salary near or above the $43.333MM former teammate Max Scherzer landed from the Mets last offseason. Verlander noted he won’t be able to make a formal decision on the option until after he sees how he finishes the season, but he unsurprisingly tells Rosenthal that “if things continue to go the way they are and knock on wood, everything goes the way I think everybody would hope, then I would probably opt out. I’ve pitched pretty damn well.“
There’s a bit of a shake-up alongside Verlander in the starting staff, as skipper Dusty Baker told reporters the club will move from the six-man rotation they’d been deploying to a five-man staff for now (via Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle). Righty Cristian Javier will be the odd man out, at least temporarily. Baker indicated the team would skip the 25-year-old’s scheduled start this weekend, with Javier available out of the bullpen instead. It’s not out of the question they eventually go back to the six-man staff, but with off days scheduled for next Monday and Thursday, there’s room for the club to consolidate the rotation for the time being. Javier’s return to the bullpen certainly isn’t an indictment of his performance. Through 112 1/3 frames, he owns a sterling 2.88 ERA with a 32.4% strikeout rate. Still, with a top five of Verlander, Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia and José Urquidy, the Astros have enviable depth (although Garcia has struggled of late). Javier’s willingness to work as a multi-inning relief weapon as needed could forecast his potential role in the postseason, as he has far more recent bullpen experience than any of the other top rotation options on staff.

Martin Maldonado Reaches Vesting Option Threshold

By Anthony Franco | August 23, 2022 at 8:30pm CDT

Astros catcher Martín Maldonado appeared in his 90th game of the season on Sunday. That marked a notable milestone for the veteran backstop, as he reached the vesting threshold in his contract in the process. Maldonado is now officially under contract for 2023. While reports had initially pegged the option value at $5MM, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle wrote over the weekend that Maldonado’s salary will actually check in at $4.5MM.

Maldonado, who turned 36 last week, will return to Houston for a sixth straight year. Acquired from the division-rival Angels for Patrick Sandoval at the 2018 trade deadline, Maldonado finished out the season in Houston. He signed with the Royals the ensuing offseason and was traded to the Cubs. Houston reacquired him from Chicago a couple weeks later, and he’s remained an Astro since then on a series of contract extensions.

The most recent of those pacts came last April, when Houston signed the MVP Sports Group client to a $5MM guarantee for the 2022 season with the ’23 vesting provision. Manager Dusty Baker penciled him into the lineup on 118 occasions last season, and he’s gotten the nod 88 times so far this year (with a few appearances off the bench tipping him above the vesting threshold). Maldonado has continued to assume the lion’s share of the playing time even after the Astros acquired Christian Vázquez from the Red Sox at this summer’s trade deadline. Maldonado has gotten 13 starts since that trade while Vázquez has been behind the dish on eight occasions.

Baker’s commitment to Maldonado as the starting backstop reflects the organization’s belief he’s an integral member of the run prevention unit. The righty has never been an effective hitter, and he owns just a .181/.245/.351 line across 305 plate appearances this season. Vázquez has a far more productive .288/.330/.423 showing at the dish, but the Astros have long maintained that Maldonado’s impact behind the plate far outweighs his underwhelming showing at it.

In prior years, that’s been supported by public defensive metrics. Maldonado routinely rated as a upper echelon pitch framer and received strong overall marks from Defensive Runs Saved throughout the prime of his career. That hasn’t been the case of late, as he’s rated as an average to slightly below-average framer through the past four seasons. He’s thrown out a solid but not spectacular 28.2% of attempted base-stealers this season (11 of 39), and his overall defensive statistics come out right around league average.

There’s no established way to quantify a catcher’s ability to manage a pitching staff or call a game, however. The Astros have long argued Maldonado is elite in those intangible aspects, and their continued commitment both to keeping him on the roster and in the regular lineup reflects that conviction. With Vázquez headed for free agency at the end of the season and a strong candidate for a multi-year deal and a starting job elsewhere, it seems likely Maldonado will again be Houston’s primary backstop in 2023.

The Astros have gotten a limited look at well-regarded prospect Korey Lee this season. The former first-rounder may be the organization’s catcher of the future, but he’s stumbled to a .217/.285/.417 line over 78 games with Triple-A Sugar Land. The only other backstop on the 40-man roster, Jason Castro, is out for the season and headed for free agency. Houston seems likely to look to the waiver wire or lower tiers of free agency for catching help this winter, although any target will probably be a veteran complement to Maldonado rather than someone who’ll bump him out of the primary lineup.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Giants Claim Jonathan Bermudez

By Mark Polishuk | August 23, 2022 at 1:28pm CDT

The Giants claimed left-hander Jonathan Bermudez off waivers from the Astros. Houston designated Bermudez for assignment this past weekend. To clear a 40-man roster spot, San Francisco recalled reliever Gregory Santos and placed him on the major league 60-day injured list, likely ending his season.

The 26-year-old Bermudez is changing organizations for the first time in his career, as he was a 23rd-round draft pick for the Astros back in 2018. He pitched in both 2019 and 2021, in the latter season returning from the 2020 layoff year to post a 3.24 ERA over 111 combined innings with the Astros’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

Between Bermudez’s impressive strikeout and walk totals, it seemed as though Houston was developing another homegrown gem, yet the 2022 season has been a grind for the left-hander. Bermudez has an 8.96 ERA over 67 1/3 innings at Triple-A, with an increased walk rate and a big dropoff in his missed bats — Bermudez has only a 20% strikeout rate this season, down from 31% in 2021. A hip injury could be a contributing factor, as Bermudez missed a month of action and struggled both before and after his absence.

The Astros put Bermudez on their 40-man roster during the offseason, but his lack of production in 2022 made him an expendable piece. The Giants are one of baseball’s most aggressive teams on the waiver wire, so it isn’t surprising that they’ve moved to add a younger pitcher who showed a lot of promise as recently as last season. Whether due to a healthier hip or perhaps just with a change of scenery, Bermudez might well be able to turn things around in San Francisco, given how the Giants have been successful at revitalizing several struggling pitchers.

AL Notes: Lorenzen, Taylor, Grandal

By Darragh McDonald | August 22, 2022 at 6:54pm CDT

Angels righty Michael Lorenzen began a rehab assignment yesterday, throwing 47 pitches over three innings for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. He went on the injured list July 7, retroactive to July 4, due to a shoulder strain. He was eventually transferred to the 60-day IL, meaning he isn’t eligible to be activated until September 2.

The return of Lorenzen won’t be terribly significant for the Angels, since they are 13 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and won’t be in competition during the final weeks of the season. However, it will be an important stretch for Lorenzen personally as he will be heading back into free agency in a few months.

During his time with the Reds, he was frequently deployed as a reliever. But when he reached free agency, he went looking for an opportunity to return to starting, which he found with the Angels. Signed to a one-year, $6.75MM deal, Lorenzen’s return to the rotation went well for a few months. He had a 3.45 ERA through mid-June, having made ten starts. Unfortunately, he allowed 16 earned runs over his next three, ballooning his ERA 4.94. At this point, one could argue that Lorenzen proved himself a capable starter that was just waylaid by an injury, while a pessimist could say he proved he’s better suited to shorter stints out of the bullpen. Teams on the lookout for pitching this winter will keep an eye on how he fares in the coming weeks, with Lorenzen surely hoping to tip the scales with a strong finish to the campaign.

Some other notes from around the Junior Circuit…

Astros lefty Blake Taylor is being pulled off his rehab assignment, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. General manager James Click says that Taylor is dealing with “posterior elbow discomfort.” Taylor’s been on the IL since June due to elbow discomfort. Click tried to downplay the update, but the fact that the rehab is being paused is noteworthy. With just over six weeks remaining in the season, there’s not much time left to restart a rehab and get back to the team. The club has been shorthanded in terms of left-handed relief all year, with Taylor’s 16 innings leading the team. Deadline acquisition Will Smith is currently the only southpaw in the bullpen. However, it seems the team can probably do just fine regardless, as lefties have hit just .217/.299/.299 against Houston’s bullpen overall this year.
White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal left Saturday’s game with an obvious injury, having to be helped off the field. With only about six weeks left on the schedule, some folks were understandably worried that his season might have ended right then and there. Thankfully, it’s been nothing but good news since. Yesterday, the club announced that further testing revealed no serious damage and that Grandal could return to action in 10-14 days. Today, Grandal is walking around the clubhouse as if the injury never occurred, tweets Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Tony La Russa says that Grandal is getting treatment but also swinging in the cage already. The backstop is having a down year, particularly in the power department. He only has three homers on the season, after hitting more than 20 in each of the previous five full seasons. But he still walks in 12.4% of his plate appearances and could be a difference maker if he can quickly return to health and rediscover his power stroke.

Quick Hits: Maddon, Molina, Hernandez, Gilbert

By Mark Polishuk | August 20, 2022 at 9:47pm CDT

After being fired as the Angels manager in June, Joe Maddon would like to return to baseball, but “right now I need to get tired of what I’m doing in order to want to do something else,” Maddon told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. The veteran skipper is enjoying a rare “summer vacation” of sorts, and would only be interested in a managerial or advisory job with a team that had a “strong balance between the old and the new” approaches to the game, and not too tilted in favor of analytics.

It seems clear that Maddon didn’t feel this balance existed in Anaheim. In general, Maddon felt the Angels’ “infrastructure needs to be improved….It’s the non-sexy stuff that has to get better. It’s not just bright, shiny objects — they have that. They need to do the infrastructure better in order to get to where we had been in the past.” Maddon also implied that the front office tried to have too much of an influence on baseball decisions, thus trying to turn the manager into a “middle man” rather than an actual leader in the clubhouse.

“It’s at the point where some GM should really just put a uniform on and go down to the dugout, or their main analytical membrane, he should go down to the dugout….And what happens is when the performance isn’t what they think it should be, it’s never about the acquisitional process,” Maddon said. “It’s always about the inability of coaches and managers to get the best out of a player. And that’s where this tremendous disconnect is formed.”

Latest On Yordan Alvarez

By Mark Polishuk | August 20, 2022 at 7:48pm CDT

Yordan Alvarez left Friday’s game in the fifth inning due to shortness of breath, and went to a local hospital for examination later that evening. Both the Astros and manager Dusty Baker addressed the situation today, saying that Alvarez was released from hospital after tests revealed nothing abnormal, and the slugger was even back at the ballpark today, though he wasn’t in the starting lineup for the Astros’ game against the Braves.

Baker even suggested that Alvarez could play on Sunday, though “We still have to watch him. He’s still under (something) similar to a concussion protocol,” the manager told The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome and other reporters. “You don’t want him to maybe fall out. They couldn’t find anything, but that don’t mean nothing’s wrong. We’re just going to wait today, see how he is tomorrow.”

Any sort of breathing issue is naturally cause for concern, though it is a very good sign that Alvarez’s initial round of testing and observation didn’t reveal any more serious problem. It could be that Alvarez was affected by playing in Atlanta in particular, with Baker noting that there is more smoke than usual in the atmosphere due to Truist Park’s tradition of shooting fireworks every time a Braves player homers, or every time a Braves pitcher records a strikeout.

Alvarez is also working through his first real slump of the 2022 season, as he has only one home run and a .572 OPS over his last 78 plate appearances. However, even with his cold streak, Alvarez is still batting .295/.400/.612 for the season, and his 31 homers ties him for the third-highest total in baseball. The season has cemented Alvarez as one of the game’s top hitters, and he will be a major factor for the Astros as they try to capture the World Series.

Astros Select David Hensley, Designate Jonathan Bermudez

By Darragh McDonald | August 20, 2022 at 6:00pm CDT

6:00PM: Houston officially announced the selection of Hensley’s contract. In corresponding moves, first baseman J.J. Matijevic was optioned to Triple-A and left-hander Jonathan Bermudez was designated for assignment.

Bermudez was a 23rd-round pick for the Astros in the 2018 draft. The lefty reached Triple-A for the first time in 2021, but has badly struggled at the top minor league level this season, posting an 8.96 ERA over 67 1/3 innings, allowing 16 home runs.

2:30PM: The Astros are calling up utility player David Hensley, reports Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Hensley is not currently on Houston’s 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move of some kind will be required to open a spot for him.

Hensley, 26, has never been a highly-touted prospect, having been selected by the Astros in the 26th round of the 2018 draft. However, he has increased his stock immensely in the past two seasons. Last year, he played 105 games at Double-A, slashing .293/.369/.439, production that amounted to a wRC+ of 118, or 18% better than league average. This year, he’s taken another step forward, slashing .298/.420/.478 in 104 Triple-A games. He’s increased his walk rate to an incredible 17.2% after being at 10.3% last year.

Beyond his work at the plate, Hensley also brings defensive versatility, having played all four infield positions this year, in addition to a brief showing in left field. There’s also the speed element, as he stole 11 bags last year and 20 already this season. All told, he should bring a well-rounded game up to Houston. Baseball America recently ranked him the #11 prospect in the team’s system, which was the first time he cracked one of their top 30 lists.

The Astros placed Aledmys Diaz on the injured list earlier this week, which left Mauricio Dubon as the club’s primary utility player. However, Dubon appeared to injure himself during last night’s game, crashing into the outfield wall while attempting to make a catch. It’s unclear if Dubon will require a stint on the injured list, but it seems the club will add Hensley to the roster for support either way.

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