The Astros used Enyel De Los Santos and Bennett Sousa in the ninth inning of tonight’s 7-6 win over the Red Sox, which immediately raised eyebrows since closer Josh Hader hadn’t pitched since Friday and was seemingly fresh. After the game, manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahawa of the Houston Chronicle) that Hader was unavailable due to what Espada described as “discomfort” in Hader’s left shoulder.
Hader was undergoing testing on his shoulder and more will be known once the results of those scans are in, but for now, the Astros and their fans can only hope that the closer has avoided a significant injury. Losing Hader would be a massive hit to an Astros team trying to stay ahead of the surging Mariners in the AL West race.
Now in his second season of a five-year, $95MM free agent contract, Hader wasn’t quite as dominant as usual in 2024, as a spike in home runs and hard-hit ball rate led to a 3.80 ERA over 71 innings. Things have been more normal this year, as Hader has a 2.05 ERA over 52 2/3 innings, and posted a set of impressive Statcast metrics to go along with his sparkling ERA. Hader’s 7.8% walk rate is noteworthy, as it represents his first above-average number in that category since the 2019 season. As always, Hader is generating a ridiculous amount of swing-and-miss, sitting in the 99th percentile of all pitchers in strikeout, whiff, and chase rates.
In his previous game on Friday, Hader threw a season-high 36 pitches over two innings of work, getting the win in the Astros’ ten-inning 5-3 result over the Yankees. He has topped the 30-pitch threshold just four times in 48 games this season, and only seven times pitched more than a single inning. With this in mind, it could be that Hader is just a little sore in the aftermath of that longer outing in New York, and needs a bit more recovery time.
Houston’s pen is deep enough in quality arms that the club should be able to withstand a brief absence for Hader, as any of Sousa, Steven Okert, Bryan King, or Bryan Abreu could step into the closer’s role. The Astros have had one of the best bullpens in baseball this year, though obviously Hader has been a big factor in the relief corps’ excellence.