Adames (back spasms) leaves game, but should avoid IL stint

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants shortstop Willy Adames has been trying to play through a back issue for several weeks, but the ailment ended up taking him out of commission on Wednesday afternoon.

Adames exited the Giants’ 2-1 loss to the Astros in the eighth inning with back spasms, which flared up when the 30-year-old veteran tried to turn a double play in the top of the seventh.

Manager Tony Vitello doesn’t believe Adames will require a stint on the injured list, though he said he doesn’t expect Adames to be available for Friday night’s series opener against the Rockies at Oracle Park following Thursday’s off-day.

“I had to fight him tooth and nail to come out of the game,” Vitello said. “Anyone who saw him moving around obviously knew he wasn’t moving around after that play at full speed. The biggest thing was just to prevent anything from getting any worse than it is. I think his frustration is [that] there’s been symptoms there lingering.

“The bottom line is we’re at a pretty distinct point here where he needs to get back to getting some treatment on that thing.”

Adames fielded a routine double-play ball from Isaac Paredes with a runner on first and no outs in the top of the seventh, but he couldn’t get a strong throw off to Osleivis Basabe at second base. Adames ended up lobbing the ball, allowing Paredes to beat out Basabe’s relay throw to first base.

The misplay proved costly, as Paredes advanced to third on another error by rookie Victor Bericoto, who dropped a fly ball in left field on the next play. Team trainer Anthony Reyes came out to check on Adames when the Giants made a pitching change, but Adames initially stayed in the game and then watched the Astros tie the game, 1-1, on a sacrifice fly from Nelson Velázquez.

Adames popped out to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but he was replaced by Christian Koss at shortstop in the eighth, when Houston scored the go-ahead run on another sacrifice fly by Nick Allen.

Vitello said Adames had been dealing with an illness in addition to trying to manage the back issue in recent days, which left him feeling particularly run down.

Adames sat out the Giants’ series at Arizona from June 29-July 1 due to the same back issue, but he’s managed to avoid a stint on the IL so far this year. Still, it’s clear that Adames hasn’t been at his best lately, as he’s batting .224 with a career-low .698 OPS and 19 homers over 116 games in 2026.

“It’s tough to watch guys not be able to perform up to their ability, what they want to do,” right-hander Adrian Houser said. “It’s part of it. He’s been battling through it. That’s kind of what we all have to do is battle through it, and he’s been hanging in there with us. Hopefully, everything gets going back the right way, and he can finish these last two months off and be in a good spot heading into next season.”

The Giants are already short on infielders, as they bid farewell to second baseman Luis Arraez at the Trade Deadline and recently lost Casey Schmitt (left knee surgery) and Matt Chapman (abdominal surgery) to injuries. Koss could fill in at short if Adames needs to miss time, though newcomer Marcelo Mayer is also nearing a return from a bone stress reaction in his left ulna.

Adames’ injury overshadowed an excellent outing from Houser, who needed only 76 pitches to spin six scoreless innings in his first start for the Giants since June 16.

“He absolutely established himself and took ownership of the game,” Vitello said.

Houser opened the season in San Francisco’s starting rotation, but he was moved to the bullpen after going 2-6 with a 5.73 ERA over his 14 starts of the year. Still, the 33-year-old veteran managed to pitch his way into another starting opportunity after logging a 2.03 ERA over his next nine relief appearances.

Houser, who joined the Giants on a two-year, $22 million deal over the offseason, made it clear that his preference would be to remain in the rotation for the rest of the year, which seems more likely now that the club is without veterans Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle, both of whom were moved at the Trade Deadline.

“That’s what I see myself as: a starter,” Houser said. “But at the end of the day, I always go about my business. I want to take care of today and go out there and get outs. That’s the name of the game. Get outs and win ballgames.”