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Roster decisions loom as Astros get key players back
Even as they lost closer Josh Hader to a shoulder injury this week, the Houston Astros are nearing fuller strength ahead of their season’s stretch run.
Yordan Alvarez, sidelined since May 2 by a right hand fracture, is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday in Corpus Christi and could return to the Astros’ lineup by early next week. Jake Meyers, out since July 6 due to a right calf strain, is “not that far behind” Alvarez in his recovery, per manager Joe Espada.
On the pitching front, Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia appear close to rejoining a staff that regained Spencer Arrighetti and Cristian Javier this month. General manager Dana Brown told the team’s pregame radio show Sunday that McCullers could return first and Garcia potentially after one more rehab start.
As this season has illustrated, there is no guarantee all that will occur without incident. But if the Astros do start to regain those players, it will create some interesting roster decisions.
Alvarez’s return would have a ripple effect on the lineup. He would figure to command the majority of starts at DH, which Jose Altuve has manned primarily since the trade deadline. Brown said Sunday the Astros will prioritize getting Alvarez’s bat back over giving him reps in left field on his rehab assignment.
Altuve, meanwhile, has started no games in left field since July 28 and just two of the past 26. Houston could work Altuve back into left, but it would add to a corner outfield crunch. Jesús Sánchez has been the primary left fielder since arriving at the trade deadline. Cam Smith remains the primary right fielder.
Sánchez figures to sit against most left-handed starters, which could allow Altuve and Smith to play the corners, but will play against right-handed pitching. Perhaps Houston would give Smith, navigating his first full professional season, more off days when Alvarez returns with Sánchez also an option in right.
Altuve could also draw more starts at second base. But on days they want their best defensive infield, the Astros would likelier play Mauricio Dubón or Ramón Urías there. Urías would have fewer avenues to playing time if Altuve gets more starts at second. Dubón’s versatility makes him an option anywhere.
Meyers’ return to center field, as well, would deepen Houston’s bench and create what Espada forecast as “a more dynamic team. It’s really good to have the guys we have just because it gives you options.”
The Astros also envision having options with their starting rotation. Espada and Brown both said Sunday the team was still discussing next steps for McCullers and Garcia. How the Astros would fit all the pieces of a healthy pitching staff is unclear.
The rotation included Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Javier, Arrighetti and Jason Alexander as of Sunday. Alexander is the least-tenured but owns a 2.63 ERA in seven outings with Houston. Neither Arrighetti nor Javier has been seamless in their returns, meanwhile, a possible precursor for others.
Javier left his start Sunday after three innings due to illness, the Astros said. He also showed diminished velocity compared to his first outing back from Tommy John surgery. Even if Javier’s issue is not a lingering one, it reinforced the risk that short outings from starters who are working back from long absences will tax the Astros’ bullpen.
Whether they could try to mitigate it by moving a starter or two to the bullpen for long relief — or even a piggyback scenario — and who might be considered for that is a question, one of several that an evolving roster may create in the coming weeks.
 | Matt Kawahara, Astros Beat Writer |
Photo by: Susan Barber, Cat DeLaura
A weekly stock market-style report on the Astros' key players.
Up: Carlos Correa
After his trade to the Astros, Correa said he was joining the team “at the right moment” offensively after a slow start, citing his improved hard-hit rate in July.
That rate has come down. (It was a whopping 63.2% in July). But Correa’s production has ticked upward, augmenting his overall impact since returning to Houston.
Correa posted a 93 OPS-plus in 93 games with the Twins this season. In his first 13 games for Houston, he compiled a .340/.397/.491 slash line and a 145 OPS-plus.
Entering Sunday, Correa had a 44.4% hard-hit rate on 45 batted balls in August. His whiff rate was down and his expected slugging of .574 was his highest mark in a month this season, per Baseball Savant.
Down: Jesús Sánchez
Another trade deadline acquisition, Sánchez made an impact against his former club in the Astros’ series win in Miami but has since cooled considerably.
Sánchez entered Sunday’s series finale against Baltimore hitless in his past 15 at-bats. He was hitting .188 with a .527 OPS overall in 14 games with Houston.
Quality contact is part of Sánchez’s appeal, but his 37.5% hard-hit rate in August as of Sunday was his lowest in a month this season. His 37% chase rate was his highest.
Sánchez’s splits limit him to starts against right-handed pitching and he could face fewer at-bats without more production as other hitters return from injuries.
Quote of the Week
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The Astros struck out a season-high 16 times in their 12-inning win Saturday against the Orioles. It was the first time in nearly a decade they struck out 16 or more times in a game — and won.
The last: An Aug. 1, 2016, game against the Blue Jays that Houston won 2-1 in 14 innings on a walk-off double by Carlos Correa.
The Astros have won just nine games in franchise history in which they struck out 16 or more times, per Baseball Reference. All but one of those games lasted longer than Saturday’s 12-inning affair.
The one exception came on June 18, 2015, when they struck out 17 times in a nine-inning 8-4 win over the Rockies. Astros with multiple strikeouts in that game: Luis Valbuena, Jason Castro, George Springer, Chris Carter, Jake Marisnick and pitcher Collin McHugh.
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Player spotlight
Josh Hader’s shoulder injury, which could sideline the closer the rest of the regular season, magnifies the importance of Bryan Abreu to anchor the Astros’ bullpen.
Manager Joe Espada did not declare Abreu the fill-in closer. But usage so far suggests that will be plan A. Abreu has closer-type stuff. This would be his first extended period in that role.
Abreu’s save against Boston on Wednesday was his first of the season and 10th in the majors. In it, Abreu touched 100.5 mph with his fastball, his fastest pitch in a game since 2023.
Not limiting Abreu to the ninth inning lets Espada use him if the game’s highest-leverage situation arrives earlier. Either way, Abreu is the key to Houston’s bullpen for the foreseeable future.
“It’s like having another closer,” general manager Dana Brown told the team’s pregame radio show Sunday. “But our main thing with him is leverage.”