The Houston Astros lost two players to injury during their game against the Colorado Rockies, with starter Cristian Javier and outfielder Jake Meyers both leaving early due to tightness issues.
The team announced that Javier departed with right shoulder tightness while Meyers dealt with lower back tightness. Both developments add to Houston’s mounting injury concerns just two weeks into the season.
“Jake Meyers left today’s game due to lower back tightness. Cristian Javier left today’s game due to right shoulder tightness.”
Meyers’ situation looked particularly troubling – the speedy outfielder had to come out mid-at-bat after a check swing, suggesting the back issue flared up suddenly. Back problems can linger for weeks, and Houston can’t afford to lose his speed and defensive versatility.
That’s especially true given what happened last season with similar injury patterns.
Rotation Depth Already Tested
Javier’s shoulder issue might be even more concerning for a team that’s already dealing with rotation problems. The 29-year-old right-hander has struggled early this season, allowing 12 earned runs in just 8.1 innings.
Now he’s dealing with shoulder tightness, which never sounds good for a pitcher.
With Hunter Brown already on the injured list and expected to miss significant time, Houston’s rotation depth is getting tested much earlier than anyone anticipated. The Astros are sitting at .500 through 12 games, and their offensive production has been solid enough to mask some pitching concerns.
But losing Javier for any extended period would put serious strain on a staff that’s already scrambling to piece together reliable innings.
The Astros can’t seem to escape the injury bug that plagued them last season. Losing both Meyers and Javier would create holes Houston wasn’t planning to fill this early in the year, raising questions about whether their depth can hold up if these tightness issues turn into something more serious.
Both players are expected to undergo further evaluation to determine the severity of their respective injuries.
