When the Houston Astros promoted bench coach Joe Espada to manager after manager Dusty Baker retired after the 2023 World Series, it was believed that Houston would keep rolling right along.
After all, the Astros were one of MLB’s most successful teams in the past decade, making eight playoff appearances since 2015, including seven straight ALCS appearances and two World Series victories in three tries.
Unfortunately for Espada and Houston, things haven’t gone according to plan. The Astros are just 33-39, and while they’re in second place in the AL West, they enter play nine games behind the Seattle Mariners and seven games out of an AL Wild Card spot.
Injuries, especially to the pitching staff, have doomed Houston so far this season. Pitchers José Urquidy and Cristian Javier are already done for the season with elbow injuries, while Justin Verlander, MLB’s career leader in innings pitched and strikeouts among active players, didn’t make his 2024 debut until nearly three weeks into the season as he recovered from an inflamed shoulder.
If the Astros wish to climb out of the hole they’ve found themselves in, they’ll have to do it without Verlander for at least two more weeks, as the team announced the three-time AL Cy Young winner and 2011 AL MVP would be heading back to the injured list with neck discomfort.
Verlander will be eligible to return on June 30 when the Astros take on the New York Mets, one of the ace’s former teams.
About Robert O'Neill