Behind schedule in recovery, Hader to open season on injured list

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Astros will begin the regular season without the services of All-Star closer Josh Hader, who will begin the year on the injured list with biceps tendinitis.

The loss of Hader is a significant blow to a Houston team that was devastated by injuries last season and missed the postseason by one game. The Astros, who made adding pitching depth their offseason focus, will now slide veteran setup man Bryan Abreu into the closer role, but Hader's loss punches a major hole in the bullpen.

Hader, who missed the final two months of last season with a left shoulder capsule strain, said when camp opened that he was “a few weeks behind” after being diagnosed with biceps tendinitis at the start of February. Hader threw his first bullpen of camp on Tuesday, hitting 87 mph, and said afterward he felt good.

The good news for the Astros is they have better pitching depth this season to withstand injuries, following the additions of Ryan Weiss, Kai-Weng Teng, Rule 5 Draft pick Roddery Muñoz, and Peter Lambert and Christian Roa -- a pair of non-roster players who have thrown the ball well this spring. Lefties Bryan King, Steven Okert and Bennett Sousa will remain key pieces of the bullpen again this season.

Abreu is well-equipped to be the closer. He saved seven of eight games as Houston’s closer in his final 18 appearances last season, posting a 3.86 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. He has closer stuff, with a four-seam fastball that touches 97.3 mph and a swing-and-miss slider. He had a 2.28 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 105 strikeouts in 71 innings last season.

Hader, who saved 28 games for the Astros in 2025 and made his sixth All-Star team, landed on the 15-day injured list in August after reporting some left shoulder discomfort while working out at Daikin Park. He didn’t pitch again in '25 after his Aug. 8 outing against the Yankees in which he threw two innings.

Hader finished his rehab from that injury in November and got off the mound and threw 87 mph before taking a break. He resumed throwing again in January and was around 85-87 mph in those bullpens, with his capsule not being an issue. It was in his fourth bullpen of the season when he felt the biceps grab him while throwing a changeup.

Hader was named American League Reliever of the Month for June by going 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA. He converted all nine of his save opportunities in 14 appearances, allowing six hits with one walk, 22 strikeouts, a 0.51 WHIP, a .128 opponents’ batting average and 14.49 strikeouts per nine innings. He converted his first 25 save chances of the season, a club record.