The Houston Astros are attempting to hold onto their current playoff positioning, which is first place in the AL West for now, but the team has been getting dealt bad news over the last few weeks.
First, it was Josh Hader going down to the Injured List, and then Monday this week, Yordan Alvarez appeared to have hurt his ankle severely after crossing home plate and twisting it uncomfortably. Isaac Paredes has also missed significant time dealing with an injury, but Houston hopes to get him back before the season's end.
Joe Espada makes an Isaac Paredes announcement
Ahead of Wednesday's series finale against the Texas Rangers, manager Joe Espada made it clear he's doing his best to prevent any sort of basepath-related injuries.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Isaac Paredes continues to progress well and "the next day or two" will determine when he's activated, and it could be as soon as this weekend. Joe Espada also said he will "ask Paredes not to run 100% on the bases, given the nature of his injury."
So, it seems as if the Astros are being extra cautious after the nature of the Yordan Alvarez news, which is very serious, and he's likley not going to return this regular season, and may miss the playoffs as well.
Houston is 84-69, and currently has a 0.5-game lead in the American League West, but will take on the Seattle Mariners this weekend in a huge divisional series.
If Alvarez really is done for the year, that puts extra pressure on Paredes to perform when he comes back from his injury.
Paredes hasn't played since July 19, but has 19 home runs, an OPS+ of 128, and played a crucial role in the Astros' lineup up until his injury.
Check out more of TJ French's stories here: