How will injury-plagued Astros approach Trade Deadline?

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHOENIX -- The Astros’ trip to the desert this week brought more injury concerns, with the news that All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes had suffered a significant hamstring injury that could threaten his availability for the rest of the season. In addition, right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. flew back to Houston on Tuesday after landing on the injured list with a blister on a finger on his right hand.

McCullers became the 17th Astros player to be on the injured list, which includes seven starting pitchers and five position players who were in Houston’s Opening Day lineup. The Astros have managed to stay comfortably atop the American League West standings despite losses of key players like pitchers Ronel Blanco, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia, All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña, outfielder Jake Meyers and slugger Yordan Alvarez.

With the Trade Deadline about one week away, the Astros’ list of needs may be growing. The club was already in the market for a left-handed bat, which general manager Dana Brown acknowledged earlier this month after Alvarez suffered a setback in his return from a fractured hand. The club could also use another starting pitcher and a right-handed reliever, which is a large shopping list.

What about third base?

The loss of Paredes for a significant period could force the Astros to be in the market to find another bat who can play third base. The Astros got an up-close-and-personal look this week at D-backs All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who will be one of the most coveted bats on the market. The Mariners, the Astros’ biggest division rival, are pushing hard for a reunion with Suárez. The Cubs may be eyeing Suárez to fill their void at third base.

Mauricio Dubón can handle third base with Paredes out, but he’s also their best option at shortstop while Peña is out, and even at second base on the days Jose Altuve is playing left field. Peña, who’s been out since late June with a rib fracture, is working out with several other players in West Palm Beach, Fla., and could be within two weeks of a return.

Astros owner Jim Crane hasn’t hesitated making deals to acquire impact players at the Trade Deadline in exchange for prospects, and has said that the window of contention is always open. The Astros’ Minor League system isn’t flush with top prospects, but there’s enough talent to pull off some trades. The only member of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 from the Houston system is Brice Matthews, who’s now starting at second base for the Astros.

That lack of high-end prospects could make it more challenging for the Astros to make deals to fill all their needs, so they may have to prioritize. There is a belief in the organization that they could wait for some of their injured starting pitchers to return in the next couple of weeks to fill some gaps instead of making a trade to acquire a starter. But can they afford to wait that long?

Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, who broke his right thumb in a freak accident in early April, threw 43 pitches in a rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday and may need only two more rehab starts before rejoining the rotation. Javier, who had Tommy John surgery last year, and Garcia, who’s been out since 2023, should return not long after Arrighetti.

Considering the number of players who’ve had injury setbacks in the last few years, perhaps the Astros choose to still go after a mid-rotation rental starter like Andrew Heaney, Zach Eflin or Charlie Morton, who recorded the final out of the 2017 World Series for Houston and is on the market now in Baltimore. They sent three prospects to the Blue Jays at last year’s Trade Deadline for starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who was terrific in Houston.

From all the Astros’ needs, adding a left-handed bat seems likeliest at this point. The Astros have the fewest at-bats from the left side of the plate in the big leagues and could be a perfect fit for Brandon Lowe of the Rays … if he’s traded. Lowe landed on the 10-day IL Tuesday list with tendinitis in his left ankle, and the Rays may not even be sellers at the Deadline.

There’s a lot of ways the Astros can go, but expect them to make some splashes before July 31.