Houston’s bullpen gets clarity as the Astros’ closer declares his shoulder rehab is holding steady with no unexpected setbacks. DD
The Houston Astros lost out on their closer in the latter portion of the 2025 season, but as he recovers from an injury, he is on track to be ready soon.
The Houston Astros were put in an impossible situation throughout their 2025 season, with injuries piling up to the extent that nearly 70% of their starters ended up missing some sort of time throughout the year.
This led to them missing the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade, and despite being competitive given the circumstances, they just did not have the production needed.
Now, with a couple of players set to hit free agency, they are going to be praying that many of these key pieces are ready for the 2026 season and will be able to clear their setbacks. One of the players who ended up missing a decent amount of time was closer Josh Hader, who ended up with 48 appearances on the year, as opposed to 71 the year prior.
On a positive note, he has been ramping up according to previous reports, and recently, he was quoted as saying he is closer to being ready than many anticipated.
What Did Hader Have to Say About His Current Recovery Timeline?
According to a recent report from Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle, Hader was recently quoted as saying the following regarding his recovery timeline from a shoulder injury late in the season:
“It should be normal…Obviously, intensity gets up and we’ll see how that goes and how I’m recovering, bouncing back from that. But as of now, everything is status quo, back to normal.”
The injury in question was a left shoulder capsule sprain, the connective tissue that surrounds the shoulder joint. These can be recurring injuries if utilized too soon, so giving him as much time as he needed to get ready was the right choice.
Hearing that things are status quo at the moment is a huge positive, and a big part of this process will be seeing how he does on a normal workload.
Previously, he had been throwing off the mound, three times to be exact, and was ramping up towards being normal. Now, hearing that he is in a position where things seem back to normal is positive, as Houston will need all hands on deck to get back to competing for the division in 2026.
Hader was able to pick up an All-Star appearance in 2025 due to his production solely in those 48 appearances, so hopefully, he is able to continue that level of work over a full season, and really put the Astros in a great position down the stretch heading into October.
