Reinforcements are on the way for an Astros roster ravaged by injuries through the first 46 games of the season.
Jeremy Peña, Jake Meyers, and Nate Pearson could rejoin the Astros next week while Josh Hader and Hunter Brown continue to progress in their rehabs, Astros manager Joe Espada said before Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers.
Peña and Meyers were in the starting lineup for Double-A Corpus Christi against Amarillo on Saturday, and Pearson is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Sugar Land
on Sunday in Tacoma.
If all goes well, Espada said all three could be available at some point during the Astros three-game series in Minneapolis, which starts on Monday night.
Peña, on the IL since April 12 with a grade one hamstring strain, went 0 for 5 on Friday night in the second game of his rehab assignment. He did not play on Wednesday or Thursday after leaving Tuesday’s game following a collision at second base.
Meyers, who landed on the IL with a right oblique strain on April 9, has gone hitless in his first two rehab games.
Pearson has appeared in six minor league games in his recovery from elbow surgery. His velocity got up to 101.3 MPH on Tuesday.
While their returns are not imminent, Josh Hader and Hunter Brown continue to progress in their rehabs.
Hader won’t be ready to come off the IL when he’s eligible on May 24, but Espada said he’ll only need five more rehab outings as he continues what is essentially his spring training ramp-up.
The Astros lefty struck out two in a scoreless inning for Corpus Christi on Friday. Hader was off for two days between his last two rehab appearances, and the final step will be pitching on back-to-back days.
Brown, who isn’t eligible to return until June 1, will throw a live BP on Tuesday. He will start a rehab assignment shortly after, if all goes well.
The Astros entered Saturday’s game with 14 players on the injured list.
