Astros general manager Dana Brown shared some injury updates at the GM meeting earlier this week, including troubling news Isaac Paredes There is no guarantee of being ready for Opening Day. Brown joined Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle to provide some more positive news about some of the other Astros players who will miss significant time in the club’s injury-plagued 2025 season, because of all the players Josh Hader, Jordan Alvarezand Spencer Alehti Expected to be ready for spring training.
Hader’s season ended in early August with a sprained right shoulder. It was initially hoped that Hader would return in the playoffs, but he still hadn’t started pitching by the end of the season, so a closer seemed unlikely even if Houston made the postseason.
Brown had not yet determined a timetable for Hader’s recovery during his end-of-season news conference, but said this week that Hader has now gone off the mound three times. Hader’s plan is to run a regular winter throwing program and “Hopefully we can get him ready sometime early to mid-February…he’ll definitely be back for Opening Day,” Brown said.
As Roman noted, losing Hader ultimately devastated Houston’s relief corps. Hader has been a workhorse in the bullpen, posting a 2.05 ERA, 36.9% strikeout rate, and 7.8% walk rate in 52 2/3 innings while shutting out 28 of 29 save opportunities. although Brian Abreu Having been pretty good at Hader’s position, losing a star closer further weakens a bullpen already missing other arms to injury and adds to Houston’s mountain of health concerns.
Alvarez only played in 48 games, which may be the most impactful of all injuries to the Astros. The three-time All-Star was sidelined primarily with a hand sprain that was eventually diagnosed as a broken finger, and ongoing hand discomfort kept Alvarez out of action from early May until the end of August. Although Alvarez excelled upon his return, he was sidelined again in mid-September with a sprained left ankle that prevented him from even returning to basic running or hitting drills by season’s end.
The good news is Brown said Alvarez should “normal offseason,” and back to about “65-70%Speed isn’t a huge aspect of Alvarez’s game, and he should continue to be Houston’s primary DH in 2026, but keeping an elite bat healthy will naturally be a big factor in the Astros’ hopes for future success.
Alehti made just seven starts and 35 1/3 innings in 2025, missing four months after fracturing his right thumb on a hit during batting practice. That unexpected injury was followed by a bout of elbow inflammation, which sidelined Alehti permanently in early September. There was some concern as Alleghetti prepared to seek a second opinion on his elbow, but it appears he has a clean bill of health ready for the regular offseason.
For now, Arrigetti is scheduled to be in Houston’s Opening Day rotation, although Brown has publicly stated that the Astros are looking to add to their pitching staff. and Framber Valdez Possibly leaving in free agency, and with several other Astros pitchers looking to turn around in addition to Alehti, acquiring another starter would help eliminate some of the uncertainty surrounding the pitching staff.
