11:59 pm: Espada says he received’t identify a brand new nearer in Hader’s place, suggesting he’ll as an alternative take a mix-and-match method to filling the late innings (per Kawahara).
4:14 pm: Espada tells the Astros beat that Hader will obtain extra testing (hyperlink through Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). The workforce has not but ascertained the severity of the pressure and thus don’t have a agency timeline on his potential return.
3:15 pm: The Astros introduced that nearer Josh Hader has been positioned on the 15-day injured record as a consequence of a left shoulder pressure. An instantaneous timetable for his return was not revealed. Houston recalled lefty Colton Gordon from Triple-A in a corresponding roster transfer. The Astros additionally reinstated righty Shawn Dubin from the injured record and opened a roster spot by designating veteran reliever Hector Neris for task.
Remarkably, that is the primary time Hader has ever been positioned on the foremost league injured record (excepting a quick 2021 placement on the Covid-related IL). He’s not solely been one of many sport’s most dominant relievers but in addition its most sturdy reliever. Courting again to Hader’s midseason debut in 2017, solely Raisel Iglesias (who spent your complete ’17 season within the majors) has extra innings pitched. (Considerably mockingly, Neris ranks third amongst all relievers in innings pitched throughout that point.) From 2018-25, solely two innings separate Iglesias (466 2/3) and Hader (464 2/3) for the MLB lead.
After an up-and-down first 12 months with Houston in 2024, Hader has been again to his usually dominant self in 2025. He’s totaled 52 2/3 innings and labored to a 2.05 earned run common whereas piling up 28 saves and punching out an excellent 36.9% of his opponents in opposition to a top quality 7.6% stroll price. Hader’s sinker is averaging 95.5 mph, down a few half-mile from final season, and he’s throwing his slider greater than ever earlier than — at a 41.4% clip. His colossal 21.1% swinging-strike price is tied with Mason Miller for tops amongst all large league pitchers — starters and relievers alike — with not less than 10 innings pitched this season.
Hader is within the second season of a five-year, $95MM contract he signed as a free agent within the 2023-24 offseason. It’s the second-largest contract ever for a reliever, each by way of whole assure and common annual worth, trailing solely Edwin Diaz (in each regards). That contract pays him an evenly distributed $19MM yearly from 2024-28.
As for the 36-year-old Neris, he’s pitched for the Astros, Angels and Braves this 12 months however struggled with all three. The best-hander has pitched a mixed 26 2/3 innings with only a 6.75 ERA to indicate for it. A lot of the harm in opposition to him got here early within the season with Atlanta, however Neris posted a 5.14 with the Angels and is at 5.40 in 11 2/3 frames throughout what’s been his third stint as a member of the Houston bullpen.
Whereas Neris has by no means precisely been a flamethrower, this 12 months’s 92.4 mph common four-seamer is a career-low, falling shy of final 12 months’s career-low 93 mph common. The 92.6 mph he’s averaging on his sinker can be a career-low. Neris is producing fewer whiffs, chases and grounders than ever earlier than on his go-to splitter as nicely.
Because the commerce deadline has handed, the Astros’ solely plan of action with Neris might be to position him on outright waivers or launch waivers. They’re successfully the identical factor for a participant in Neris’ scenario at this level, as he has the suitable to reject an outright task in favor of free company anyhow and is kind of possible to take action. If one other membership can get the veteran righty again on monitor, he’d be postseason-eligible with that new workforce as long as he was signed previous to Sept. 1.
With Hader on the shelf and Neris off the roster, the Houston bullpen will now look to righty Bryan Abreu as its anchor. He’s the rapid favourite to select up saves in Hader’s place. Lefties Bryan King, Bennett Sousa and Steven Okert all have a 3.10 ERA or higher on the season and determine to gather the vast majority of setup alternatives whereas Hader is out.
Because the Astros don’t have one other shutdown righty past Abreu, it’s not less than doable that Abreu may see work within the eighth inning if the Astros’ opponent has a run of powerful righties, which might thus go away the ninth inning for one in every of that trio of lefties. That mentioned, each King and Okert have been terrific in opposition to each righties and lefties. That provides supervisor Joe Espada loads of choices late within the recreation, however the lack of Hader is nonetheless an important blow as Houston tries to fend off a surging Mariners membership that has rattled off seven straight wins to tug inside one recreation of the AL West lead.
