Left quad discomfort ends Springer’s night
PHILADELPHIA — George Springer was pulled after two innings of the Astros’ seriesopening 13-4 win over the Phillies on Monday night because of what the team described as left quad discomfort.
The All-Star outfielder slipped on a defensive play in the second inning and was replaced at the start of the third. Josh Reddick moved from right field to center field, and Nori Aoki came off the bench to play right.
Springer appeared to suffer the injury when fielding a Tommy Joseph double off the center-field wall with one out in the second. Two batters later, he caught a line drive from Cameron Perkins and threw to first baseman Yuli Gurriel for a double play.
Weekend rotation still undecided
The expectation remains that Dallas Keuchel will return to the rotation Friday or Saturday in Detroit, but manager A.J. Hinch won’t make a determination until after the lefthander throws his bullpen session Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.
Collin McHugh will start whichever weekend game Keuchel doesn’t, and Lance McCullers Jr. will start Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Tigers.
McHugh will also throw a bullpen session Tuesday. Keuchel and McHugh pitched Saturday, Keuchel in a rehab start, McHugh for the Astros, so the decision boils down to which pitcher the team wants to rest an extra day.
Hinch said the order of Keuchel and McHugh for the weekend will be determined Tuesday or Wednesday.
Harris ready for rehab start
Reliever Will Harris will pitch in a minor league rehab outing Wednesday, with an eye toward being activated from the 10-day disabled list this weekend during the Astros’ series in Detroit.
Harris, who hasn’t pitched since before the All-Star break because of a bone bruise in his pitching elbow, threw a bullpen session Sunday in Baltimore and said all went well.
He planned a couple of light days Monday and Tuesday before he joins a yet-to-be-determined affiliate Wednesday.
Harris, who has a 2.86 ERA in 342⁄3 innings this season, likely will pitch just one inning in his rehab outing.
He will start the game, something Harris said he hasn’t done since he was 17 or 18 years old.
“It would be nice to have him back,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “I noticed him being gone in that bullpen.
“He makes a lot of things go round in the bullpen when it comes to his availability.”
Odds and ends
Manager A.J. Hinch didn’t have an update Monday regarding the status of Colin Moran (facial fracture, concussion) other than to say surgery was “very likely,” and Moran was “working his way back to Houston” from Baltimore. Moran’s father and his fiancée had been with him at the hospital in Baltimore. …
Charlie Morton’s start Tuesday will mark the first time he’s had to bat since he tore his hamstring running to first base in April 2016 while a member of the Phillies. Morton said he’s not worried about having to run. “No more worried than I am pitching,” he said. “I’ve gotten hurt pitching way more than I’ve gotten hurt running.” A valid point. …
Bench coach Alex Cora is expected to rejoin the Astros on Tuesday. He’s been away from the team since Friday, following the birth of his twins.