October feels empty in Houston for the first time in nine years. The Astros making the postseason had become an annual fall tradition in Space City. This season, it was not meant to be. For the first time since 2016, there will be no postseason baseball in Houston. It shocked everyone, but the adversity this team faced throughout the year proved too much to overcome.
What Went Wrong for the 2025 Astros
Even during the last weekend of the season, there was a belief that the Astros would find a way to sneak in and make noise this year. That hope vanished when the team lost the first game of the final series of the regular season 4-3 against the Los Angeles Angels.
That result meant that either the Detroit Tigers or the Cleveland Guardians had to get swept for Houston to make it. Obviously, it did not happen. The loss summed up the 2025 Astros perfectly: the bullpen blew the lead, and the offense failed to produce enough runs against a team they usually handle.
The Astros ultimately missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker with the Tigers. Despite all the issues, they stayed close. One more win, one more held lead, or one extra RBI could have changed everything. For them to stay alive that long with so many lineup changes was impressive.
Why the Astros Missed the Postseason
Plenty of blame can go around, but there were multiple factors that led to Houston not participating in October.
First and foremost, injuries were the true reason why this team did not end up making the postseason. The Astros suffered the most injuries in baseball this season, by a long way. They had around 20 injuries throughout the year. You never want to make injuries the excuse, but the absence of key players made the difference.
List of 2025 Astros Injuries:
SP Spencer Arrighetti – Missed all but 7 starts
SP Ronel Blanco – Tommy John after 9 starts
SP Luis Garcia – Elbow injury after 2 starts (after missing most of season returning from TJ)
CL Josh Hader – Missed final 2 months
SP Lance McCullers Jr. -…— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) September 28, 2025
The Astros’ best hitter, Yordan Alvarez, missed the majority of the season. Alvarez only played 48 games, with most of those at the start of the year, as he was dealing with a hand injury. He was out 100 games because of that broken bone in the hand, but he also sprained his ankle on Sept. 15 while stepping on home plate. That was right when Alvarez’s bat was hot.
The Astros’ offense had strong stretches in the summer, especially with third baseman Isaac Paredes in the lineup. Paredes was the Astros’ most productive offensive player at the time. They were 55-35 on July 6 after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Once Paredes got injured on July 19, and Jeremy Peña suffered a rib fracture around the same time, they went into a slump. Paredes missed 60 games, and Peña missed 37 games at key times. Additionally, the pitching started breaking down in September.
Pitching Injuries
Houston lost starters Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski early to Tommy John surgery. Spencer Arrighetti missed four months with a fractured right thumb. Once he came back, he struggled in five starts with a 5.26 ERA before missing the rest of the season with right elbow inflammation.
The Astros only had two starters performing at a consistent level: ace Hunter Brown and Jason Alexander. Framber Valdez struggled with a 4.55 ERA and a 5-7 record over the last 15 games. Cristian Javier was inconsistent in his eight starts after returning from Tommy John surgery. Lance McCullers Jr. was never a real option. Luis Garcia had to undergo his second TJ surgery after two starts in September.
Bullpen issues caught up to the Astros, and they were not able to hold onto leads. The main reason for that is Josh Hader’s injury. The All-Star closer suffered a shoulder capsule strain and was out after August 11. That had a huge impact on their ability to close out winnable games. The somewhat decent depth in the bullpen was gone.
Inconsistent Offense
When pitching faltered, the offense didn’t pick it up. The busy trade deadline, in which Houston added Carlos Correa, along with outfielder Jesús Sánchez and utility man Ramon Urias, was supposed to fix the offense. Correa delivered, but nobody else was great. It was just an off year. Jose Altuve struggled with a .222 average and .666 OPS in his last 30 games.
Who Struggled
Sánchez hit only .199 with 29 hits in 48 games as an Astro. Big things were expected out of starting catcher Yainer Diaz, but he was highly inconsistent and hit only .256 with a .701 OPS. Their huge offseason acquisition, first baseman Christian Walker, had dramatic home and road splits. Walker was terrible at home with just a .202 average and a .621 OPS. He only hit eight home runs at Daikin Park.
They relied heavily on Alvarez to come through with runners in scoring position. The best possible lineup never got to bat together. In the last few games of the year, the Astros did not have Alvarez, Pena, or even Jake Meyers available. There were so many changes in a short period of time, it was hard to get consistent.
The Seattle Mariners also went on an incredible run with a 17-1 record from Sept. 6 to Sept. 23. The Stros had a small 3.5-game lead at the time and went 10-10 for the rest of the season.
Overall, it was a mix of bad timing, constant injuries, and inconsistency for the 2025 Astros. It feels like they could’ve made the postseason, but they just weren’t meant to be a playoff team this year. But they will be back next season, hopefully healthier and more consistent.
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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