HOUSTON -- All-Star closer Josh Hader is seeking a second opinion on the left shoulder strain that landed him on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, with Astros manager Joe Espada saying Wednesday that Hader’s time on the injured list “is going to take a little bit longer than the two weeks.”
That’s certainly ominous news for an Astros team that has seen its seven-game lead atop the American League West over the Mariners evaporate since July 6. Espada wouldn’t say what the first opinion Hader received was or whether surgery was on the table.
“Let’s give Josh the space to go and see the doctors,” said Espada, who called Hader’s move to the IL a “punch in the gut” on Tuesday.
The loss of Hader for any amount of time is a huge blow to the Astros’ bullpen and will force some relievers to move into different roles, but Houston’s bullpen is much thinner now than it is with a healthy Hader, who made his sixth All-Star team this year.
Hader threw a season-high 36 pitches in two innings against the Yankees on Friday in New York and warmed up toward the end of Sunday’s win, but he didn’t get into the game. It was his seventh multi-inning appearance of the season. He reported shoulder discomfort Monday in Houston and wasn’t available to pitch in the win over the Red Sox.
The Astros activated reliever Shawn Dubin from the injured list (forearm strain) prior to Tuesday’s game, and he gave up four earned runs, including two homers, while recording one out in a 14-1 Boston win. Colton Gordon gave up five runs (four earned) in relief Tuesday and was optioned to Triple-A as right-hander Jordan Weems was brought up from Triple-A.
Espada wouldn’t commit to which relievers would move into which roles, but it’s likely that setup man Bryan Abreu and lefty Bennett Sousa will handle closing duties most days. Abreu, who entered Wednesday with a 1.67 ERA in 53 games, leads all Major League relievers with 79 strikeouts, but has allowed 25 walks in 54 innings.
Left-hander Bryan King has typically handled the seventh inning if the club has a lead, but he entered Wednesday having allowed five runs, including four homers, in his previous six innings. Sousa (2.64 ERA) has pitched in 41 games and is averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Right-hander Kaleb Ort had seven consecutive scoreless appearances under his belt entering Wednesday, but has been inconsistent. The club signed veteran Enyel De Los Santos to a Major League contract on Thursday, and he threw a scoreless inning Monday in his Houston debut.
“I feel good about all those guys,” Espada said. “For me, and I was talking to the relievers about this, [knowing] Josh Hader and how successful he’s been, he needs guys to give him the ball with the lead. So all those guys have set him up to be the closer that he is. Not taking anything from Josh. Josh is probably the best, but you need guys to help him get to that point, and these guys are capable of doing that.”
In his second year of a five-year, $95 million contract, Hader has 28 saves and a 2.05 ERA in 48 games for Houston this year. Among American League relievers, he was second in saves entering Wednesday and was tied for second in strikeouts, behind only Abreu. He began the year by converting his first 25 save chances, a club record.