WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Houston Astros closer Josh Hader will begin the season on the injured list, manager Joe Espada said on Wednesday, making official something that’s felt inevitable since the beginning of spring training.
Hader reported to camp behind schedule after feeling soreness in his bicep during an offseason bullpen session. Hader has not had any setbacks since arriving in camp, but his slow buildup, coupled with a shrinking calendar, made it impossible to be ready for Opening Day on March 26.
Espada did not want to speculate on the length of Hader’s stint on the injured list, but reiterated that Hader continues to throw pain-free and is progressing well. Hader threw his first bullpen session of spring training on Tuesday — a 15-pitch outing after which Espada said Hader felt “pretty good.”
“I think today how he came in and how he felt yesterday throwing is a good indication that we’re going in the right direction,” Espada said on Wednesday. “That’s all we are looking for right now.”
Hader, who is entering the third season of a five-year, $95 million contract, missed the final 46 games of last season with a capsule strain in his left shoulder. Earlier in camp, Hader said this new injury is independent of the shoulder ailment that ended his 2025 season.
Before that shoulder injury, Hader had never been on the injured list during his major-league career. Upon signing with the Astros in 2024, Hader softened his previously strict stance of only pitching one inning per outing, citing the “commitment” the Astros made to him. His contract is the most lucrative free-agent deal given during Jim Crane’s ownership tenure.
Hader has thrown more than one inning 14 times during his Astros career— a trend that, it stands to reason, may end after this rash of injuries.
Setup man Bryan Abreu will ascend into the closer’s role in Hader’s absence, but the bridge to him is not as clear. Houston has a slew of southpaws with neutral platoon splits — Steven Okert, Bennett Sousa and Bryan King — that can collect outs late in games. Trade acquisition Kai-Wei Teng, who throws right-handed, also continues to impress team officials in spring training.
“It feels great having Bryan, also some (other) guys that can fit that role and throw high-leverage innings and get outs for us late in the game,” Espada said. “We’ve done that with those guys. It’s not ideal not having Hader to start the season, but we do have guys in camp that we feel good about getting those last outs for us late in games.”