How the Astros Could Fill Key Gaps During Latest Injury Crisis

Wednesday on The A-Team, Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler discuss the Astros' most recent wave of injuries and how they may look to plug the holes with no obvious options in sight. Could Shay Whitcomb get a shot at shortstop? Be sure to listen to the audio for the full discussion.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Why have you had so many setbacks with so many
different players. Why has the timeline that even at the
time seemed like was very loose and likely to be
hit so few of them were hit, and that's what
you'd like to avoid this year, hadn't been any indication
of that, And so so far, so good. You know,
nothing from a setback standpoint with any of the players, pitchers,
position players that we're talking about.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
So far. You got the return of Zach Decenzo today.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
He made his season debut, was in the lineup and
left field went oh for three. First game of the
season for Saysar Salazar. And in the time since ian
Or Diaz was hurt the oblique issue with from a
swing in BP, it's a pretty good indicator from the
team that this is not a short term injury. I
don't know that they're looking to go outside the organization
to add a catcher. I suspect they definitely aren't. So

(00:46):
we'll likely see a lot of Sasar salas Are and
Christian Vasquez over the next month six weeks at a minimum.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Going back to what you kind of not even half
sarcastically said the other day. Good on Dana Brown for
signing Christian Vasquez this offseason. Yees, especially Carotin he's now
playing in Minnesota.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, they were.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
It was nice that, you know, Ceysar Salazar had to
get DFA from a roster standpoint, when he did not
make the opening day roster, he was not claimed and
decided to remain with the.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Organization, which clearly is very helpful.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
Had that not happened, they probably would have signed some
catcher to a minor league deal, and hopefully he would
have been catching games in sugar Land and would have
been the player they called up, which they obviously did
with Salazar.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
But they don't really have any I mean.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Colin Price, or I mean we now know because yesterday
it was announced that Walker Yannick is on the injured
list at Double A because of a hamstring issue. He's
had an awful offensive season. He's already major league ready defensively,
and I think he could handle a pitching staff very well.
But he can't hit minor league pitching currently, so I
don't know that he could hit major league pitching either,

(01:46):
And now he's also hurt. So a true astro, a
former first round pick on the injured list in the minors.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
You're It's funny what you mentioned about Salazar, because I
remember when he was floated out there and cleared waivers
and was available, and you never thought again going back
to all of the injuries, but particularly now this one
of all the ones we've discussed, that he would be needed,
like absolutely in every truest sense of the word needed

(02:13):
for the twenty twenty six Astros.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, spend a lot of time this offseason as things
unfolded everywhere about the infield glut and who's gonna play
left field? How do you get all six of these
bats in there? How do you mix in the DH
whereas your don gonna play if he's not the DH
obviously left field? And how often is that going to be?
It's been a non issue the entire season. It took
us away from what we should have been talking about,
which is the actual team and the players on it

(02:36):
and how they might perform, rather than how do they
get They didn't have it. They've had no issue getting
anybody and everybody into the lineup whenever they want, because
it's a matter of who's healthy today and that's who's
playing their infield now, will be will have a hole?
They have a hole at shortstop. It'll be filled by
three reserves at different times. Shay Witcams probably gonna get
opportunities there. I mean, I know they're trying to win,

(02:57):
and I would be trying to do the same thing
if I was Dhana and Joe and and Jim. But
he's the only developmental player of the three. Branden Shoemake
and Nick Allen they're not developmental players.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
They are who they are.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
They're not major league caliber players, certainly not offensively. I
don't think Shay Whitcomb is either. But if there was
ever I guess if there was ever a time to
maybe find out and have him play every day until
at least until Jeremy Payina returns, it might be something
they would consider. They also aren't ready to kick the
season away, even at fifteen and twenty three. I'm sure

(03:32):
they believe in looking at the division standings. If you're
just trying to make the postseason, winning the division does
get you there. They're fifteen win team right now through
thirty eight games, and you look in this division, fifteen
wins has you trailing the division.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Leader by three. That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
The Athletics have eighteen wins The Astros have fifteen wins