Houston Astros Reveal Great Injury Update for Star Slugger Christian Walker

Houston Astros fans can breathe a massive sigh of relief based on this injury update.

Sep 25, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first base Christian Walker (53) celebrates a double in the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros can breathe a sigh of relief after a scary injury situation regarding star free agent acquisition Christian Walker.

As first reported by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, manager Joe Espada revealed to the media in the wake of a recent MRI for Walker that his injured oblique is not strained.

That is great news, with Espada also adding that Walker feels "really good" and will head back to camp on Friday before being eased back into baseball activities.

The first baseman was sent to Houston from spring training in order to receive the MRI and further evaluation after being scratched from the lineup on Wednesday with soreness in his oblique. It was the same oblique which forced Walker to miss all of August last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, so it was a cause for concern.

Things looked even worse on Thursday when he had to undergo the MRI, but the Astros manager said it was out of an abundance of caution, something that appears to be the case since no serious damage was revealed.

With three weeks to go until the season gets underway, Walker's outlook for Opening Day looks significantly stronger than it did just one day ago after receiving the positive injury update and being returned to camp.

Houston signed Walker to a three-year deal worth $60 million back in December to be the team's first baseman. After three consecutive strong offensive seasons that included three Gold Glove honors, the excitement for what he can do for the team is sky high in Space City.

By the sounds of it, Astros fans won't have to wait long in order to see their new superstar debut in 2025.