Star Astros closer Josh Hader will begin the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list, manager Joe Espada announced to the team’s beat this morning (via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). He’s been slowed by a biceps issue this spring after missing the final seven weeks of the 2025 season due to a capsule strain in his shoulder. Hader has progressed to throwing and pitched an encouraging bullpen session yesterday, Kawahara adds, but the team simply won’t have enough time to get him built up before the season begins. Righty Bryan Abreu will very likely be in line to close games for Houston while Hader is shelved.
Hader’s Opening Day status has been an ongoing question throughout camp. Both the left-hander himself and team officials have repeatedly expressed optimism about the manner in which he’s progressing through rehab while simultaneously declining to commit to an Opening Day timetable.
While it’s an obvious blow to the Astros’ early-season fortunes, it’s still relatively good news. There’s no indication that last year’s shoulder injury has carried over into the 2026 season, nor does it seem the biceps injury is particularly nefarious. The Astros’ track record when it comes to framing player injuries is worth keeping in mind, but to this point it seems there’s hope for Hader to be back in Espada’s bullpen relatively early in the season.
Abreu, 29 in April, is among the stronger fallback options any team has for its closer in all of baseball. The 6’1″, 230-pound flamethrower owns a masterful 2.30 earned run average across his past four seasons in Houston. He’s punched out at least 31.7% of his opponents in each of those four seasons and 34.3% overall. Abreu’s 10.4% walk rate could stand to improve, but he’s proven so adept at missing bats that the slightly elevated walk rate hasn’t been a real issue for him. Abreu sat 97.3 mph on his four-seamer last season, and his 16.6% swinging-strike rate since 2022 ranks sixth among the 280 big league pitchers who’ve tossed at least 200 innings in that time (trailing only Hader, Andrés Muñoz, Dylan Lee, Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley).
As for Hader, an exact target date for his return remains up in the air. His 2025 season was shaping up to be one of his best. Prior to his injury, that lanky southpaw tossed 52 2/3 innings with a 2.05 ERA, a 36.9% strikeout rate, a 7.8% walk rate (second-lowest in his career) and 28 saves in 29 opportunities. He’s entering the third season of a five-year, $95MM contract signed prior to the 2024 campaign.
Well this sucks. If you didn’t know, Hader is my favorite player (as you can see with my username). But I hope he can get back pretty soon.
Note to self: draft Brian Abreu.
Fantasy baseball?
It’s a 10 team 5×5 AL only roto league. Redraft.
In my yahoo leagues he’s available as a waiver pick up. No need to draft him really. I have 3 separate teams and he’s available in all of them.
Now that could change with this news
Wow it’s a top story but only 5 responses.
Shoulder trouble last year and now biceps pain. Doesn’t look good. Only times I’ve had biceps pain is too many curls or too many throws from CF
Hader doesn’t want to be a waiter.
Don’t be a Hader
Overused in Milwaukee. He’ll be done after this contract is up.
Well 95 million alone is enough, let alone his arb money.
If by overused, you mean the league figured him out, you are correct.
What nonsense. He was dominate before going on the IL.
Abreu has been a horrible closer, he is not one of the stronger fallback options. He has 12 blowns saves the last 2 years.
Hard to over use a guy who refused to get more than 3 outs until after he signed his current contract.