The Houston Astros bullpen and pitching in general struggled in the early part of the season. The bullpen took a big step forward in May, and they are now set for another step in the right direction in June with the latest update.
Six-time All-Star closer Josh Hader has been activated off the injury list for the first time since August 2025 in an absolutely huge boost for the Astros bullpen. Their closer is back. This news has been highly anticipated for weeks now as he officially secures the back-end of the ‘pen.
Astros Finally Get Back a Massive Piece of Their Bullpen
The development was first revealed by Astros manager Joe Espada on SportsTalk 790 during the Matt Thomas show on Tuesday.
The fireman comin’. #ChaseTheFight x @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/3dgENbMsOu
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 2, 2026
Hader, after missing the final two months of last season with a left shoulder capsule strain, was initially expected to be fine for spring training and the start of the year. However, he suffered a setback during one of his bullpen sessions right around the time pitchers and catchers report.
He was found to have biceps tendinitis at the start of February. Hader was around three weeks behind schedule at the time. There was a clear step-by-step process in his recovery as he slowly built his arm back up. Hader and the Astros took plenty of time to make sure he was fully ready to go given how important he is.
More on Josh Hader’s Recovery With Astros
Hader’s spring training regimen basically started during his extended amount of rehab assignments that began on May 5. The 32-year-old appeared in nine minor league games across both Triple-A Sugar Land and Double-A Corpus Christi.
He posted a 4.15 overall ERA across his rehab assignment in 8.2 innings along with a 1.27 WHIP. Hader pitched five straight one-inning scoreless outings before ramping up and performing on shorter amounts of rest. He last pitched on back-to-back days on May 27 and 28, where he gave up five runs total.
That included three earned runs given in 0.2 innings in his last rehab outing. At the end of the day, the Astros were just looking for health and how his arm felt.
“He keeps mentioning that he needs the extra adrenaline just to finish the whole rehab off. He feels good…but he needs the big crowd, the walk-up song just to push him so that everything’s completed,” Espada said.
Hader’s Previous Season With the Astros
Hader is one of the best closers in baseball and posted a 2.05 ERA in 52.2 innings pitched last season and threw 76 strikeouts. The flame-throwing lefty made 28 saves in 29 opportunities that paved the way to his sixth All-Star team. Hader converted his first 25 save opportunities of the season, which was an Astros record. He was also the American League Reliever of the Month for June 2025 where he put up a 1.98 ERA.
Hader will slide right into the closer role and will also not be used for more than one-inning outings, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. He threw more than one inning seven times last season, and that could have played a role in the shoulder capsule strain he suffered. Hader’s last appearance was a two-inning outing in Yankee Stadium on Aug. 8 where he threw two innings on a 2025 high 36 pitches.
Astros Bullpen Depth Gets a Boost
Hader’s return gives the Astros a solid back end of the bullpen with Steven Okert, Enyel De Los Santos, and Bryan King, who’ll be the new set-up man. Both Nate Pearson and rookie reliever Alimber Santa have also yet to give up a run in four and five innings, respectively.
Bryan Abreu’s struggles have hurt the bullpen, and he’ll need to be moved out of high-leverage situations. Hader can give that stability.
“By joining us, there is a sense of relief from the rest of the guys that, okay, now we have an extra arm that we can count on in other high-leverage spots. With 100 games left, it’s coming together,” Espada said.
The Astros sent down Logan VanWey on Monday as the corresponding move and also brought Zach Cole back up as Braden Shewmake was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain. Carlos Correa was also moved to the 60-day IL.
Hader signed a five-year, $95 million contract and is now in his third year of that with the Astros. He has a 2.64 ERA and 0.94 WHIP overall across nine seasons.
Main Image Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
