{"id":119843,"date":"2026-04-22T01:06:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T05:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=119843"},"modified":"2026-04-22T01:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T05:06:27","slug":"how-astros-can-overcome-overwhelming-injury-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/04\/22\/how-astros-can-overcome-overwhelming-injury-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Astros Can Overcome Their Overwhelming Injury Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

This season was supposed to be different. It was supposed to be an improvement from last year, but the same issue is haunting the Houston Astros more than ever. The injury bug has once again ravaged the Astros, specifically in the pitching department. It also hasn\u2019t spared the outfield.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How the Astros Can Overcome the Injury Bug<\/h2>\n

During the offseason, general manager Dana Brown and the front office specifically targeted improving the depth of the roster, specifically in pitching. While the debate is out on whether Brown and the Astros did enough to bolster that, the injury luck has just been brutal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Every single day, it seemed like a new injury was added to the list. Some sort of move due to injury has taken place almost every single day in April. The injured list<\/a> has now grown to 16 players. It\u2019s mostly pitching, but also parts of the offense as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pitching Depth Coming In<\/h2>\n

The fact is that the Astros did add multiple arms in the offseason. During spring training, it seemed like Houston\u2019s pitching staff<\/a> was in good shape. Both new starters, Mike Burrows<\/a> and Tatsuya Imai<\/a>, looked great back in March. Burrows was acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a>, while Imai, one of the top Japanese players<\/a> available, signed a three-year, $54 million deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Astros had Hunter Brown<\/a> as the ace of the staff, followed by Cristian Javier<\/a>, and the finally healthy<\/a> Lance McCullers Jr.<\/a> Houston put together five arms and had options to go six deep thanks to Spencer Arrighetti<\/a> in Triple-A and a variety of long relievers who could convert to starters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Continuous Stream of Astros Injuries<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s all shockingly come apart. While the Astros started 6-3, the injuries to the pitching staff kept mounting up. The starters were unable to go deep into games, which severely taxed the bullpen. The ace in Brown was the first to get injured with a Grade 2 shoulder strain<\/a>. This was Brown\u2019s first time on the injured list. The big hole only got bigger as Javier also suffered a Grade 2 shoulder strain just a week later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Brown said on @SportsTalk790<\/a> that late May\/early June is timetable for return of Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier. \u201cHopefully it could be a little sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n