WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- As the calendar creeps closer towards the middle of March -- and with Opening Day a little more than two weeks away -- Astros closer Josh Hader has yet to face hitters this spring, which puts his availability for the start of the season in limbo.
Hader, who missed the final two months of last season with a left shoulder capsule strain, said when camp opened a month ago that he was “a few weeks behind” after being diagnosed with biceps tendinitis at the start of February. Hader threw a bullpen Tuesday, his first since coming to camp, and said things went well.
“I had a little bit of momentum down the mound, so I felt good,” Hader said. “I felt like my body was in sync.”
Hader threw about 15 pitches, all fastballs, while being watched closely by pitching coaches Josh Miller and Ethan Katz. Houston general manager Dana Brown stood along a fence nearby watching intently.
“The ball was coming out easy,” Miller said. “It was his first normal bullpen in a while and he had the governor on for a while, but he looked good.”
Which leads us to the big question: Will Hader be ready for Opening Day?
If you look at the calendar, it’s not looking likely. If he has no further hiccups in his throwing progression, he would still throw one or two more bullpens before facing hitters in live batting practice. Hader would then have to get into a game at the end of camp. Time is running out.
When asked about the March 26 season opener against the Angels, Hader said he’s taking it day by day. Miller wasn’t ready to put a timeline on him, either.
“Don’t want to speculate on that,” Miller said. “There’s going to be some ramp-up time. He’ll need to throw off the mound at least a handful of times and face some hitters. We are getting close to the end here. I don’t know how likely that is, but it’s not my place at this time to make the call.”
If Hader begins the season on the injured list, the Astros could move setup man Bryan Abreu to the closer spot like they did late last season. The club added enough pitching depth in the winter to absorb some injuries. Newcomers Ryan Weiss, Peter Lambert and Kai-Wei Teng have pitched well this spring and could be multiple-inning relievers in the bullpen, but the Astros are at their best with Hader in the ninth inning.
Hader, who saved 28 games for the Astros last year 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 2025 after his Aug. 8 outing against the Yankees in which he threw two innings.
He 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 grabbing 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 year, setting a club record.