Astros Place 2 More Important Players on the Injured List Amidst Difficult Stretch

The Houston Astros' injury-ridden week took another difficult turn on Monday.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena looks on after his at bat. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It's hard to put into words how difficult this past week has been for the Houston Astros. They suffered seven straight losses in one week to the Athletics, Colorado Rockies, and Seattle Mariners. The pitching staff has been stretched thin, and the injury hits continue to pile on.

Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a grade one hamstring strain.

Peña left Saturday's 8-7 loss to the Mariners with what was described as right posterior knee tightness. After further imaging, they concluded a stint on the injured list was needed.

Shortly after, Houston also placed right-handed pitcher Tatsuya Imai on the 15-day injured list with right arm fatigue. In Imai's start on Friday, he only recorded one out and allowed three runs with four walks.

Astros Call Up Three Players from Triple-A

Houston Astros pitcher Colton Gordon (61) delivers a pitch. | William Liang-Imagn Images

Peña and Imai weren't the only players who've gone to the injured list during this road trip. They joined starting pitcher Hunter Brown, right-hander Cristian Javier, and center fielder Jake Meyers on the injured list. Not to mention, starter Cody Bolton exited Sunday's game with back tightness. It has just been that kind of week for Houston.

To fill their places on the roster, the Astros called up right-handed pitcher J.P. France, left-handed pitcher Colton Gordon, and infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land. Houston also optioned Jayden Murray to Triple-A following Sunday's contest.

France has made 28 starts in the big leagues with the Astros. He was an important piece to the starting rotation in 2023, posting a 3.83 ERA with 101 strikeouts.

Since then, he has struggled to stay healthy as he dealt with right shoulder surgery. France appeared in Friday's game against Seattle and threw 2.2 innings.

Gordon was drafted in the eighth round of the 2021 draft and made his big league debut last season. He started 14 games and finished with a 5.34 ERA.

Both he and France will be important pieces to the rotation while several arms are on the shelf. The pitching staff has had a tough start, posting the league's worst team ERA at 6.49.

The offense will have to continue doing the heavy lifting. It may not be a sustainable recipe for Houston to score 7-8 runs a game in order to have a chance, but it's the only option for Joe Espada's team at the moment.

It's one thing to lose multiple games in a row, but it's another to have multiple key contributors fall to injury. The Astros are dealing with both, and answers to this issue are dwindling each day.