Houston Astros GM Dana Brown Shares Key Injury Updates and Internal Plans

The Houston Astros' starting rotation is in deep water with injuries, which leads the boss to make some changes in-house to help the cause.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada (left) and general manager Dana Brown (right) talk on the field before the game. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The start of the 2026 season hasn't been what the Houston Astros were hoping for, with several key players going down to injury and more losses than wins. The former dynasty has fallen on hard times, but that hasn't made general manager Dana Brown all too concerned with the product on the field.

He knows things have to get better, and he believes that manager Joe Espada and the healthy players will ultimately find their mojo again, climbing back into the AL West standings.

The biggest concern for Houston this season has been the injuries and the lack of strong starting pitching. Losing Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Tatsuya Imai is not ideal, but it has led Brown to look internally at who could help the cause now, while the others continue to recover.

Dana Brown Searching Internally for Starting Pitching Help

Houston Astros pitcher Kai-Wei Teng (17) walks off the field after pitching. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Joining SportsTalk 790 AM on Wednesday, Brown spoke on how Kai-Wei Teng, a trade acquisition from the San Francisco Giants this offseason, has helped the rotation in this unfortunate time, even potentially leaning toward making him a starter as the season continues.

"We're having some conversations in terms of potentially starting him," Brown said. "He's been a starter in the past, he gave us 2.2 really quality innings and kept things at bay... He's definitely stepped up for us."

Teng holds a 1.65 ERA in 10 games thus far in 2026, and if the Astros do turn to him to start some games, it could come into effect relatively soon, should they pull the trigger on the idea.

Brown Offers Update on Hunter Brown's Return

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) before his windup. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Astros' biggest loss in the starting lineup is their ace, Hunter Brown, who only made two starts this season before being placed on the injured list. However, the Astros' general manager is not panicked about the start of the season. A significant part of this calmness stems from their expectations for when their ace will return to the mound.

Brown said he expects the starter to be back early to mid-June if everything goes according to plan. Of course, there will be a ramp-up time, and Brown likened that to going through spring training again. He recognized the similarities between Hunter and Javier’s injuries and knows that it takes time to recover and get back into game shape.

Dana Brown said, “I know it's really tough for us to deal with it; it's frustrating at times, but it's a part of the game. When we get Brown back, we expect Brown to be the big workhorse that he is. He's never been injured, it's his first time, he's in uncharted territory, but make no mistake that Hunter Brown is going to get back this season."