The Astros are placing center fielder Jake Meyers on the 10-day injured list, relays Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Rookie infielder Brice Matthews was recalled to take his spot on the active roster. Meyers is dealing with right calf soreness. Houston also reinstated Lance McCullers Jr. from the 15-day IL and designated Nick Hernandez for assignment to open a spot in the bullpen.
Meyers’ injury is the latest hit to a Houston team whose playoff hopes are on life support. The Tigers beat the Red Sox this afternoon to clinch a playoff spot. The Astros are down to one path to October. They need to win their final two games in Anaheim and count on the Rangers to beat the Guardians twice in Cleveland. They may already know their fate by the time tonight’s game opens at 8:38 pm Central. Cleveland’s game is already underway, and they’re tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth at the time of this writing.
If the Astros find a way to sneak into the playoffs, they’d need to play at least the first round without their starting center fielder. Meyers wouldn’t be eligible to return until Game 2 of the Division Series. It’s the second calf-related IL stint of the season for the right-handed hitter. Meyers strained the same muscle before the All-Star Break and didn’t return to the big league club until September 6.
Meyers has had arguably the best season of his career when he’s been healthy. He’ll finish the regular season with a .292/.354/.373 batting line with three homers and 16 stolen bases in 104 games. Meyers has been a fantastic defensive outfielder throughout his career. He hadn’t been much of an offensive threat over his first three-plus seasons. This year’s average and on-base percentage are easily personal highs.
Houston has now lost three regulars within the past two weeks. Yordan Alvarez sprained his ankle and won’t be back this weekend. Jeremy Peña hasn’t played in a week due to an oblique strain. He’s out of the lineup again tonight. Zach Cole replaces Meyers in center field, drawing Taylor Trammell into the lineup in left. Mauricio Dubón is in at shortstop for Peña.
McCullers is back from a minimal IL stay related to hand soreness. The former All-Star starter has been relegated to the bullpen and owns a 6.71 ERA over 52 1/3 innings around a trio of injured list stints. His return comes at Hernandez’s expense. Houston did not need to create a 40-man roster spot but had already optioned Hernandez five times over the course of the season. That’s the maximum under the terms of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, so the Astros will need to run him through waivers to send him down again.
Houston acquired Hernandez in a minor league trade with the Padres last June. They called him up a day later and have used him as an up-and-down reliever since then. The 30-year-old righty has pitched 10 times this season. He has allowed six runs in 10 2/3 innings, striking out 11 while issuing eight walks. He pitched well during his various Triple-A stints, turning in a 2.12 earned run average while striking out a third of opponents across 46 2/3 innings.
Hernandez has below-average velocity. His fastball averages around 91 MPH and he leans equally heavily on a low-80s slider. It’s not eye-popping stuff, but he has gotten swinging strikes on more than 13% of his offerings at the big league level. Triple-A hitters whiffed more than 16% of the time. That could be enough for a team to grab him off waivers. While Houston maxed out their five options within a season, Hernandez has one option year remaining after this one. A claiming team could send him back to Triple-A next season if they’re willing to keep him on the 40-man roster all winter.