HOUSTON -- Astros manager Joe Espada said placing All-Star closer Josh Hader on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder strain Tuesday was a “punch in the gut,” though the club still doesn’t know the severity of the injury or how long he will be sidelined.
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 and cause Espada to play the matchups. The earliest the Astros could get Hader back is Aug. 26, so he will miss next week’s important series in Detroit and all seven upcoming games against the Orioles.
“He’s seeing doctors right now and we’re getting more tests done and hopefully this is not going to be a long-term thing,” Espada said.
The Astros activated right-handed reliever Shawn Dubin from the 15-day IL prior to Tuesday’s game against Boston and left-hander Colton Gordon was recalled from Triple-A. Veteran reliever Héctor Neris was designated for assignment.
Hader threw a season-high 36 pitches in two innings against the Yankees on Friday in New York and warmed up towards 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.
“Not what you want to hear,” Espada said.
Espada wouldn’t commit to which relievers would move into which roles, but it’s likely setup man Bryan Abreu will take over as closer in most situations. Abreu, who entered Tuesday 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’s allowed five runs, including four homers, in his previous six innings entering Tuesday. Left-hander Bennett 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 Tuesday, 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.
The return of Dubin, who missed 41 games with a forearm strain, gives them a versatile option who can pitch multiple innings, can face lefties or righties and throw in high-leverage situations.
“I feel good about all those guys,” Espada said. “For me, and I was talking to the relievers about this, 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 Tuesday and was tied for second in strikeouts, behind only Abreu. He began the year by converting his first 25 save chances, a club record.