HOUSTON -- Josh Hader will immediately return to the closer role for the Astros after being activated from the injured list prior to Tuesday’s game against the Pirates. Manager Joe Espada plans to monitor his workload on a daily basis, which includes limiting him to three outs per outing.
Hader, who hasn’t pitched in a Major League game in nearly 10 months, missed the first two months with biceps tendinitis and will provide a huge boost to the Houston bullpen. He missed the final two months of last season with a left shoulder capsule strain and reported to Spring Training a few weeks behind schedule after the biceps tendinitis diagnosis at the start of February.
“It’s definitely nice I’m able to compete now,” he said. “I’ve been counting down the days, for sure. It’s definitely been a long journey for me.”
The Astros took it slow with Hader’s rehab, which included nine Minor League games between Triple-A Sugar Land and Double-A Corpus Christi, and plan to limit him to one-inning outings, at least for now. That could change later in the season.
“Ultimately, we play it smart right now,” Hader said. “You can’t go to the playoffs right now, but once we get towards the end of the year and hopefully into the playoffs, that’s something I’m definitely going to be able to do. Early on, it’s playing it smart and making sure we don’t slow the momentum we’ve got. The back-to-back [outings] and all that, is still there.”
Hader’s reinstatement was among a handful of moves the club made on Tuesday: Infielder Carlos Correa was transferred to the 60-day IL, outfielder Zach Cole was recalled from Sugar Land and infielder Braden Shewmake was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to Sunday with a right adductor strain. Right-hander Logan VanWey was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday.
The Astros began Monday with the highest bullpen ERA in the Major Leagues at 5.16, but Houston’s relievers pitched much better in May (3.27 ERA) than they did in April (7.14 ERA). The Astros initially began the season with Bryan Abreu as the closer, but opted to use either lefty Bryan King or right-hander Enyel De Los Santos in closing situations for much of the season.
The Astros’ bullpen looks much different than it did at the start of the season, with the return of Hader and Nate Pearson from the IL and the addition of Alimber Santa from Triple-A.
“It falls in how we had planned in Spring Training,” Espada said. “We knew who was going to pitch the ninth inning, how we were going to get the ball to Hader. So having Hader back we would kind of lean on the original plan we have, and the depth is important. The days that some of those guys are not available, a lot of these guys are throwing the ball very, very well.”
Last year, Hader threw more than one inning in a game seven times, including four outings of two innings. Hader, who saved 28 games for the Astros in 2025 and made his sixth All-Star team, landed on the 15-day injured list last 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, and was put on the IL for the first time in his career.
“Fortunately for me, it’s taken me 14 years of professional baseball to get my first one,” he said. “I’m definitely blessed to be able to say that. It was a minor setback. I know I did everything I could prior to the injury to be prepared.
“My routine was dialed in. For me, it was continue what you do. It gave me a chance to work on little things that I wouldn’t have been able to do, be able to push those into a longer strengthening stage and be able to get stronger. Overall, it was pretty good.”
Hader was named American League Reliever of the Month in June 2025 after 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.