The Houston Astros are vying for the American League West title, and while the Seattle Mariners have made an effort to surpass the Astros, Houston is still holding onto the top spot firmly.
Houston is three games up on the Mariners, and they've built this lead without two incredibly important pieces in Josh Hader and Isaac Paredes. Both are likely to miss the rest of the regular season, though a recent report indicates otherwise.
According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com's interview with Astros' GM Dana Brown, Brown revealed an encouraging update on Paredes' potential return to action.
Dana Brown Makes Encouraging Isaac Paredes Comments
"We're going to get information on both later today or early Wednesday," Brown said. "I think we got a good chance that Paredes may be doing some activity, but ... I'm fired up about that because I felt like when Paredes went down, our offense suffered."
This update from Brown on Paredes is a very encouraging one. The Astros' All-Star third baseman is dealing with a right hamstring strain and will miss a significant portion of the year, even if he does manage to return in September.
Paredes hit the injured list in the middle of July, shortly after the All-Star break. It's been over a month since he's already missing, and the Astros have felt the effects of his absence.
Over the last 30 games, Houston has the 24th-ranked offense by team OPS (.687). On the season, Houston has a team OPS of .718, ranked 13th in Major League Baseball. It's a significant difference, and it only encompasses part of the time Paredes has missed.
The 26-year-old third baseman acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster deal has been great for Houston this season before his injury.
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In 351 at-bats for the team across 94 games, Paredes had a .259 batting average with an .829 OPS. He has 91 hits, 51 runs scored, 15 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, 50 RBIs, 49 walks, and 67 strikeouts on the year.
His offensive production is sorely missed for the Astros, and while they added Carlos Correa to take over at third base in his absence, the team is still missing the impact of Paredes' bat in the lineup.
Houston's offense has been one of the worst in the last month, scoring just 95 runs, second worst to only the Cleveland Guardians, who've been one of the worst offenses in 2025.
As this update from Brown indicates, the Astros might see Paredes start working towards a return this season. With how poorly the offense has performed of late, a return of Paredes would be welcome for the Astros.
While he's still got a ways to go before he's ready to suit up for Houston, this is an encouraging update on the potential for the Astros' All-Star third baseman to return to the team at some point this season.
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