Melton (sprained right ankle) placed on IL as injuries mount for Astros

HOUSTON -- Jacob Melton was making a strong first impression on Astros manager Joe Espada and his teammates in his first taste of the Major Leagues, including a single and a triple in his first two at-bats in Friday’s 10-3 win over the Twins. A day later, he’s on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle suffered while playing defense in the series opener.

Melton, the Astros’ No. 2 prospect, was in a walking boot Saturday morning and was headed for more testing, Espada said. His injury came one day after third baseman Isaac Paredes, the team’s leader in homers and RBIs, strained his left hamstring, but the club believes Paredes will avoid the injured list.

Paredes said an MRI performed Friday resulted in good news, showing a small strain. He said he was day to day, and he was on the field Saturday fielding grounders.

“I think we’re close to being 100 percent and being able to play every day, which I want to do,” Paredes said.

Melton dealt with groin and back injuries in the spring and early in the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, and getting injured while he was getting some semi-consistent playing in the big leagues is frustrating for him.

“I think frustrating is a good word to put on it,” he said. “Obviously, it’s something that’s out of my control at this point. Would love for this not to happen, but it’s part of the game, unfortunately. I think a lot of guys go through it at some point in the season and this year has been a little bit tougher than most, but it’s not going to be anything too big. We’ll work through it and come back.”

Melton, a second-round pick in 2022 out of Oregon State, was slashing .241/.290/.310 in 11 games with the Astros and flashed impressive speed on the bases and on defense, where he has the potential to be an elite defender at any outfield spot. He made a tremendous diving catch in right field Sunday in Cleveland.

Melton was playing left field Friday when he turned to chase a home run by Minnesota’s Willi Castro and twisted his ankle and briefly went to the ground.

“Obviously, off the bat I thought I was going to have a shot to make a play on that ball,” he said. “When I realized that I wasn’t going to have a play on it, I tried to back off the wall and get turned around and get squared up with where I thought it was going to hit and just kind of rolled [the ankle], landed on it a little awkward. Not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but I play cards that I’m dealt.”

Melton is the 11th Astros player currently on the injured list.

“It’s a pretty good sprain,” Espada said.

Houston’s IL group includes three-fifths of its starting rotation to begin the season -- Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Spencer Arrighetti. Blanco and Wesneski recently had Tommy John surgery and Arrighetti could return in July after he broke his right thumb in a freak accident in April.

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has been on the injured list since May 3 with a right hand fracture that general manager Dana Brown said last week was 80 percent healed. Outfielder Chas McCormick (left oblique) and outfielder/infielder Zach Denzezno (left hand capsule strain) are working their way back from injuries.

On Saturday, the Astros added two veteran players to their 26-man roster in outfielder Cooper Hummel and infielder Luis Guillorme. Hummel is a switch-hitter who was in Spring Training with Houston and spent time in the Yankees and Orioles organizations before returning to the Astros a week ago. Guillorme -- a left-handed hitter who can play third base, shortstop and second base -- was a non-roster invitee to camp.

The Astros’ starting pitching depth and position player depth is being tested as the club maintains a comfortable lead in the American League West.