The injuries continue to mount for the Houston Astros.
The latest victim is third baseman Isaac Paredes, who has not played since July 20 with what was originally diagnosed as a hamstring strain, but is now expected to miss 6-7 months with a hamstring tear, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Nightengale also noted that there is hope he will be ready for Opening Day 2026.
This is a tough update not only for the Astros but for Paredes, who was enjoying a fantastic debut campaign in Houston. After being one of the key returns in the Kyle Tucker trade, Paredes paid dividends on the risky move.
He was batting .259 with an .829 OPS, a 129 OPS+, 19 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 49 walks to 67 strikeouts over 94 games and 351 at-bats.
The Astros did acquire infielder Ramón Urías from the Baltimore Orioles. He is primarily a third baseman, and should assume Paredes' job, but he can also play second base, shortstop, and occasionally first base.
While this is unfortunate timing to lose a contributor like Paredes, Houston has already proven it can absorb monumental losses. Tucker is gone. Yordan Álvarez has not played since early May. Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, and George Springer have also departed in recent years.
Plus, Jeremy Peña, Lance McCullers Jr., Brandon Walter, Cristian Javier, and Spencer Arrighetti are still out.
Yet, despite all of that turnover, the Astros are still one of the standards in the American League, and hold a relatively cushy 5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West.
There is still plenty of baseball left, but Houston looks like a legitimate pennant contender, even without Paredes, and should maintain an aggressive deadline approach.