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Spencer Arrighetti Spencer Arrighetti Falls apart in loss
Wed, Jul 8, 2026, 9:58 PM
Arrighetti (7-5) took the loss against the Nationals on Wednesday, allowing eight runs on seven hits and six walks with two strikeouts over four innings.
Analysis: Arrighetti opened with two scoreless innings but surrendered eight runs over the next three frames without recording an out in the fifth. He threw just 48 of 94 pitches for strikes and will close out the first half having allowed eight earned runs in two of his past three outings while surrendering at least four runs in five of his past seven. He owns a 4.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 81:44 K:BB across 82 innings this season and will look to regroup during the upcoming All-Star break. |
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Taylor Trammell Taylor Trammell Idle for third straight game
Wed, Jul 8, 2026, 4:20 PM
Trammell is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: The left-handed-hitting Trammell will hit the bench for a third straight game, with his last two absences coming against left-handed starting pitchers. Brice Matthews will get the nod in center field Wednesday, but Trammell could still occupy the strong side of a platoon at the position. |
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Braden Shewmake Braden Shewmake Taking seat against southpaw
Wed, Jul 8, 2026, 4:18 PM
Shewmake is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: Shewmake will join fellow left-handed hitters LaMonte Wade and Taylor Trammell on the bench while the Astros stock up on some extra right-handed bats to counter Nationals southpaw Foster Griffin. Nick Allen will replace Shewmake at shortstop Wednesday, though both players are likely to see their opportunities in the middle infield dwindle this weekend, when Jeremy Pena (calf) is expected to return from the injured list. |
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LaMonte Wade Jr. LaMonte Wade Jr. Idle against southpaw
Wed, Jul 8, 2026, 4:17 PM
Wade is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: Wade will join fellow left-handed hitters Braden Shewmake and Taylor Trammell on the bench while the Astros stock up on some extra right-handed bats to counter Nationals southpaw Foster Griffin. Zach Dezenzo will replace Wade in left field and will bat eighth. |
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Ronel Blanco Ronel Blanco Rehab outing cut short by weather
Wed, Jul 8, 2026, 11:33 AM
Blanco (elbow) struck out two over two perfect innings in a rehab appearance Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Analysis: After throwing 60 pitches and 4.1 innings in his third rehab outing last Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi, Blanco tossed 27 pitches (18 strikes) over two frames Tuesday before the game was called after the seventh inning due to inclement weather. While it's possible that Blanco was able to do some additional throwing in the locker room or bullpen to build on his workload, the abbreviated appearance could take him out of consideration to return from the 60-day injured list to fill the open spot in the Houston rotation this Sunday at Texas. If Blanco instead makes another rehab appearance later this weekend and if the Astros are satisfied with the quality of his stuff and his velocity, he'll likely be cleared to come off the IL following the All-Star break. |
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Lance McCullers Jr. Lance McCullers Jr. Completes third rehab start
Wed, Jul 8, 2026, 11:23 AM
McCullers (shoulder) struck out four and allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks across four innings in a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Analysis: In the third start of his rehab assignment, McCullers covered four innings for a second outing in a row, though he was able to push his pitch count up to 77 (43 strikes) after tossing 60 pitches in his previous appearance for Sugar Land. Though he wasn't as sharp Tuesday as he had been his previous two times out, McCullers has still fared well overall during his minor-league assignment, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in 11 innings. The next steps for McCullers remain unclear; though the veteran right-hander is stretched back out, Astros general manager Dana Brown didn't mention him as a candidate to fill the since-demoted Mike Burrows' spot in the rotation the next time it comes up Sunday against the Rangers, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. With that in mind, McCullers may be headed for another rehab appearance Sunday before returning from the 15-day injured list following the All-Star break and potentially handling a bullpen role. |
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Jose Altuve Jose Altuve Goes deep again
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 10:40 PM
Altuve went 1-for-5 with a solo home run during the Astros' 6-3 win over the Nationals on Tuesday.
Analysis: Altuve failed to get on base in each of his first four plate appearances but fifth time was the charm for the veteran second baseman, who smacked a solo homer to left-center field in the eighth inning. He's gone deep in back-to-back games against Washington and is up to 10 home runs on the season. Altuve has reached base safely in six of his last seven games, going 6-for-27 (.222) with four extra-base hits, five RBI and one steal in that span. |
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Nick Allen Nick Allen Drives in three runs Tuesday
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 10:36 PM
Allen went 1-for-3 with a steal and three RBI during the Astros' 6-3 win over the Nationals on Tuesday.
Analysis: Allen was responsible for half of the Astros' runs Tuesday, which came on a sacrifice fly in the second inning and a two-run single in the fourth. It was a season high in RBI for Allen, who has seen a regular run at shortstop since returning from the 10-day injured list in late June. However, his playing time will take a significant hit once Jeremy Pena (calf) returns from the IL, with the latter having embarked on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday. |
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Josh Hader Josh Hader Records one-out save Tuesday
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 10:22 PM
Hader earned the save against the Nationals on Tuesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.
Analysis: The Astros initially turned to Alimber Santa to protect their 6-2 lead in the ninth, but the right-hander gave up a solo homer to Jose Tena before giving up another single. Hader was brought out needing just one out to secure the save, but the southpaw gave up an infield single and a walk to load the bases before getting Dylan Crews to strike out swinging. Hader has converted on all 10 of his save opportunities this season and has a 0.59 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB across 15.1 innings. |
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Tatsuya Imai Tatsuya Imai No-decision against Washington
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 10:19 PM
Imai did not factor into Tuesday's decision against the Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and threw walks while striking out three across 3.2 innings.
Analysis: Imai put the Astros on the back foot early by giving up a leadoff home run to James Wood. Imai yielded another run in the second and ran up his pitch count to 84 (52 strikes) before being pulled in the fourth inning. He's recorded only 15 outs over his last two starts, which comes after he tossed back-to-back quality starts with 10-plus strikeouts in each of those outings, and he sits at a 6.06 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 52 innings this season. Whether Imai gets one last turn in the rotation before the All-Star break largely depends on whether Ronel Blanco (elbow) will be activated off the 60-day IL for the Astros' weekend road series against the Rangers. |
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Yainer Diaz Yainer Diaz Receiving Tuesday off
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 4:56 PM
Diaz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Diaz will take a seat Tuesday after starting five of the previous six games and going 4-for-18 with two homers and five RBI during that span. Christian Vazquez is starting behind the plate and batting ninth for Houston. |
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Bennett Sousa Bennett Sousa Starts up rehab assignment
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 4:29 PM
Sousa (elbow) struck out one over a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Analysis: Sousa has been on the injured list since May 9 due to left elbow inflammation and will likely need to make multiple rehab appearances before the Astros are comfortable activating him. Before hitting the shelf, the southpaw reliever posted an 8.10 ERA and 2.40 WHIP in 3.1 innings over five appearances for Houston. |
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Hayden Wesneski Hayden Wesneski Hits four frames in rehab start
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 3:23 PM
Wesneski (elbow) struck out three and allowed one earned run on two hits and one walk across four innings Sunday in a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi. He also hit a batter and threw two wild pitches.
Analysis: After tossing three shutout innings in his first rehab start in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 30, Wesneski jumped up a few rungs on the minor-league ladder for his second outing. Wesneski -- who is on the comeback trail after undergoing Tommy John surgery last May -- built up to 46 pitches (29 strikes) in Sunday's appearance, generating seven whiffs along the way. The right-hander will likely need to make two or three more rehab starts before coming off the 60-day injured list, but he may not have a rotation spot with the big club waiting for him once he's activated. |
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Jason Alexander Jason Alexander Shelved at Triple-A
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 3:16 PM
Triple-A Sugar Land placed Alexander on its 7-day injured list June 17 due to an unspecified injury.
Analysis: After the Astros optioned Alexander to Triple-A on May 27, the right-hander made two starts before landing on the shelf. He'll likely remain out through the All-Star break, though an official timeline for his return to the Sugar Land rotation has yet to be established. Alexander owns a 5.32 ERA and 1.61 WHIP across 44 innings at Triple-A this season. |
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Alimber Santa Alimber Santa Up in majors
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 2:49 PM
The Astros recalled Santa from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: It's a well-deserved return to the big leagues for Santa, who posted a 0.71 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB across 12.2 frames in his first taste of the majors earlier this year. He should fill a low-leverage relief role while up with Houston. |
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Mike Burrows Mike Burrows Demoted to Triple-A
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 2:37 PM
The Astros optioned Burrows to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Burrows tied a season worst with seven earned runs allowed Monday against the Nationals, giving him a 6.84 ERA and 5.9 K/9 across his past 10 appearances. The right-hander was acquired from the Pirates during the offseason after posting a 3.94 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 97:31 K:BB over 96 innings during 2025, but he'll likely need to get back on track at Sugar Land before getting another look in the Astros' rotation. |
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Jose Altuve Jose Altuve Homers Monday
Tue, Jul 7, 2026, 7:14 AM
Altuve went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Monday's 12-11 loss to the Nationals.
Analysis: Altuve put the Astros ahead 4-1in the second inning with a three-run, two-out blast off Miles Mikolas. It's Altuve's ninth long ball this season and his first since June 19. The veteran second baseman has gone 4-for-11 with three extra-base hits in his last three games following a 4-for-31 (.129) slump across his prior eight contests. Overall, Altuve is slashing .235/.312/.394 with 42 runs scored, 25 RBI and two stolen bases across 296 plate appearances this year. |
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Jeremy Pena Jeremy Pena Kicking off rehab Tuesday
Mon, Jul 6, 2026, 3:59 PM
Pena (calf) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Pena is less than a week removed from landing on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain, but he's ready to test things out in a game setting. The expectation is that Pena will play a couple rehab contests before being activated from the IL on Friday when he's first eligible. |
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Taylor Trammell Taylor Trammell Taking seat Monday
Mon, Jul 6, 2026, 2:53 PM
Trammell is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Trammell will head to the bench after he went 4-for-21 with a home run, two walks, two RBI and three runs while starting in the Astros' last seven games. Brice Matthews will replace Trammell in center field and will bat ninth. |
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Raynel Delgado Raynel Delgado Heading to Triple-A
Mon, Jul 6, 2026, 2:47 PM
The Astros optioned Delgado (finger) to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Analysis: Delgado will give up his spot on the 26-man active roster to fellow infielder Braden Shewmake (adductor), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. During his latest stint in the big leagues, Delgado appeared in appeared in three games and went 1-for-5 with a double, a walk and a run. Delgado exited early in a start during last Wednesday's loss to the Twins due to dislocated pinkie finger on his right hand, but he made a pinch-hitting appearance and played an inning at shortstop in Friday's loss to the Rays and should be ready to handle an everyday role at Sugar Land. |
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