Can the Astros survive if Josh Hader misses the rest of the season?

Can the Astros survive if Josh Hader misses the rest of the season?

So, some hater news. Get to your thoughts in a minute. 7137803776. I noticed this yesterday reading Matt Kawahara’s article about the game in the Houston Chronicle today. He had quotes from relievers and like it’s always okay, maybe you can find a hint there. Most of the relievers like, “Hey, everybody’s got to step up, blah blah blah blah blah.” But there was one from Souza that was uh that was interesting to me. He said, quote, “We’re going to have to do a really good job of picking each other up and staying confident and fresh throughout this next month and a half. Wow. There’s a month and a half left in the season. Like that quote tells me that Haters not returning before the playoffs. We know the question was specifically about Haters absence or just the bullpen. It was about the bullpen stepping up. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It’s still not great. Susan, we’re not we’re going to have to do a really good job of picking each other up and staying confident and fresh. I mean, it’s about both. I mean, he’s he’s talking about picking each other up. Really good job of picking each other up and staying confident and fresh throughout this next month and a half. So whenever I read that I’m like well they’re they’re without hater for the next month and a half and there’s the next month and a half left in the season. Minutes ago news coming from Joe Aspatada. Joe Aspata talks to the media before each game. Little dugout scrum. Always like to read the three beat reporters uh like their tenor because they’re always very different tinners. I think McTagert’s like straightforward. I think Kawahara is a bit straightforward. I think Chandler Rome’s like a little bit more grumpy pants. Yeah, probably clownish. I mean I have fun with the clownish thing, but I don’t think he’s a clown. I think he’s a good journalist. He’s just he’s just he leans on the negative side. Bad takes but good journalist. Uh clown takes, bro, but good journalist. But but he always errors on the side of like like his his story today on the Astros. The headline and look, he’s technically right. His headline was the Astros squandered a sevengame AL al AL West lead. Technically right, but you look at the other headlines and they’re not nearly as like negative Nancy as that one. So he heirs on the more fear-mongering side. I think sensationalism I think I mean he’s not a sensationalist though I don’t want to say that he’s he just yeah the the glass is definitely most times half empty that’s a good way to put that’s a good way to put a little bit more like bothered that he had to write a headline type of thing so anyways the um the three McTagert Kawahara and Chandler Rome Demir like the holy trinity of Astro beat reporters McTagert for Major League Baseball Kawahar for the youth chronicle ro for the athletic so McTagert Astros manager Joe Espatada said hater is seeking a second opinion for his shoulder strain But there’s no word on what the first opinion said. Quote, “This is going to take a little bit longer than two weeks,” a spot said. So, not a twoe injury. Uh, doesn’t sound great. Uh, that didn’t share the details on the first one. Is seeking a second opinion on the shoulder. You you always point out you seek a second opinion, you don’t love the first one. Right. Kawahara hater will seek a second opinion on his shoulder. Joe Espatada said Aspata did not share details of the first opinion, just that hater will be out longer than two weeks. Rome hater is seeking a second opinion on his left shoulder strain. Manager Joe Espatada said Espatada declined any further comment in the situation in order to quote give Josh his space as he seeks the second opinion. I mean I’m not expecting him back that the rest of the season. I think he’s done. Yeah. As much as I was hopeful yesterday, none of that sounds to or seems to line up as anything too good. And you throw in the Souza comment and in, you know, I’d be looking for the fact that, well, maybe it’s just the fact that the bullpen hasn’t been great of late in a lot of ways and a lot of guys and maybe they know they need to pick it up. But yeah, with all of that being said, it just sounds like it might you’re they’re playing the rest of the the regular season at least without hater. It’s massive. It’s massive news if that is indeed true. Yeah. Like one tell I think we’ve picked up on over this year, maybe last year as well, that when the Astros when the news comes out and the Astros treat it as kind of pessimistic as well, this could take a while. Believe them because they usually tend to be on the more optimistic side and overpromise when guys will be back. And we saw that with with Esoch. Like as soon as they said, well, this one looks like it’s severe and it could be a while soon. We we found out, you know, not that soon not that soon afterwards that it was going to be like a seven-month injury. Obviously, we don’t think that haters is going to be a seven-month injury, but I mean, I guess it’s within the realm of possibility, but all that to be said, like, if they’re if they’re feeling not optimistic about it, I would take the side of it’s going to be a longer injury. The only time they haven’t been optimistic is Esoch. That could have been a hamstring surgery that would have cost him seven months. Let’s calm down, guys. Let’s just wait till Dana speaks and then we’ll get that that inflated Dana talked this morning. Ed, did he? Yeah. Did he me say anything about it? He wasn’t really asked directly about hater, so he kind of was able to dance around it a bit. It was just kind of like guys have to step up. We’re not ready to proclaim what our bullpin hierarchy is. He he wasn’t really asked directly about the Oh, he he did say like we’re going to have more information later today. So, it wasn’t anything, you know, any meat on the bone there. Yeah. I just and half kidding, but again to Brian to your point, normally he’s the guy that puts the the the very much rapidly a rapid return date all year. It sets a deadline that’s unrealistic that we then pass and go, “What the hell are we doing? How long’s it going to take?” And then it’s significantly longer than that they initially said. It just doesn’t sound great. And and you know, the second opinion thing, they didn’t like the first one in my opinion. Um the fact that you know, you need him so badly, it’s now now what the hell do they do? because yeah, you know, you’ve got some guys that look like they have some promise, but overall, I mentioned the bullpen has had some more than a couple of hiccups lately, too. So, they have to step up and and that whole, you know, door is shut eighth, ninth, and sometimes more than that if you’re going to extra innings. It’s going to be a challenge for them. Texture, I can’t believe that there’s any way we could have believed the 15-day BS. That’s just the minimum amount for a pitcher. Like, he’s that’s transactional. Um, it’s very curious to me they didn’t do it Monday. Like, how did you not place hater on the injured list on Monday? It’s so bizarre to me. It’s just weird. They always air on the side of we can’t place him on the IIL. It’s a shoulder for a closer. It’s his throwing shoulder. Like, there’s no way he’s gonna be back in two weeks. What are you waiting for? They’re weird. And it’s Josh Hater, right? It’s the most valuable piece in your bullpen and the most expensive. And you’re not going to, dare I say it, but for the medical staff, but you’re not going to cut corners. You’re not going to do anything that’s a rush with a guy like that. So, you might as well just do it and get because again, I understand that the the the the best case scenario yesterday would have been, “Yeah, it felt fine. The next day, he’s good. No worries. Get back out there.” But the way that Espata described it and the way it seemed to all go down, this didn’t seem like it was going to be a quick fix. No. So, I guess we’ll just wait to hear the severity of the uh the injury. But Souza says like a month and a half that we’re going to have to step it up. Baspata says it’s going to take a minimum more than two weeks and he is seeking a second opinion and did not share the details of the first opinion. So that’s what we know on uh on hater. I I’m going to go ahead and bank that hater is not coming back this year. And if he does, pleasant surprise. That’s where I’m at with it. Yeah. I mean, unfortunately, because again, and I go back to what Rome said, too, about squandering, this team has just stayed afloat all year and found every smoke and mirror possible to try a and stay in front in this division and done a hell of a job. I don’t think they squandered anything, have they not been hot since the All-Star break, but everybody when they’ve needed to and all the guys they called up from Sugarland have stepped up big. I kept wondering throughout the year when when is going to be the one injury that they can’t overcome. I I was worried if it was going to be Paradus. You look at it now and go now what do they do if they’re going to try to find anybody else that can help them? We’ve seen just about every pitcher. So, you know, I we talked yesterday about the fact that no one wants to see Ryan Presley, though I know that was a hot topic today. Um you mentioned Kendall Graveman, but I don’t think Kendall Graveman has anything left in the tank close to when he was in Seattle and they got him the first time and he’s obviously not on a team for a reason right now. I don’t think they’re going to go find any help outside either. No, I think this what you got. This is uh you’re going to go to battle what you got. Um, I think you can I mean they still have a shot, but obviously their odds have taken a tremendous hit with the the loss of hater.

Houston’s bullpen just took a huge hit — and the timing couldn’t be worse. Astros closer Josh Hader is seeking a second opinion on his shoulder injury, and early signs point to him possibly missing the rest of the regular season.
In this video, we break down:

– Joe Espada’s latest update and why “more than two weeks” could mean much longer
– The bullpen’s reaction and what Bennett Sousa’s comments revealed
– Why the second opinion raises concern about the first diagnosis
– How losing Hader could reshape the Astros’ playoff push
– Potential bullpen options moving forward and the challenges they face
– Why outside help may not be coming before the postseason
T
he Astros have fought through adversity all season, but this could be the injury that truly tests their depth. Can they hold onto the AL West lead without their most valuable bullpen weapon?

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