Springer gets to run; return still unclear
ran sprints on the field at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday afternoon for the first time since sustaining his injury, but it remains unclear when the Astros’ All-Star outfielder will be activated from the 10-day disabled list.
Springer, who hasn’t played since July 24 because of a left quad injury, will be first eligible to return from the DL on Friday. It seems likely his stay will last longer than the minimum 10 days, though.
How much longer is a question for which the Astros don’t have an answer.
“It gets him closer, but I still don’t have a target date yet,” manager A.J.
Hinch said of Springer’s progression to running.
Asked if Springer could return during this weekend’s series against the Blue Jays, Hinch responded, “I guess anything’s possible. But it’s anyone’s guess at this point. He just ran for the first time in a while.”
Even while he hadn’t been running, Springer had been swinging the bat in the indoor batting cage. He hit on the field during the Astros’ pregame batting practice Wednesday.
“I’ve been doing everything you can think of to get myself back,” he said before batting practice. “The goal is to come back and help the team.”
Altuve named AL player of month
In the least surprising news of Wednesday, Jose Altuve was selected as the American League’s player of the month for July.
Altuve batted an incredible .485 in 99 July at-bats, a franchise record for batting average in any calendar month. The Astros’ star second baseman also led the AL in on-base percentage (.523) and slugging percentage (.727) in July.
Altuve’s 48 hits in July were the most by any Astros player in a calendar month since Lance Berkman’s 49 in May 2008. The previous best batting average in a month in franchise history was .476, set by Richard Hidalgo in September 2002.
“I feel like everything you win, you’re actually doing it because of your teammates,” Altuve said. “I can’t win player of the month without George (Springer) getting on base or without Marwin (Gonzalez) driving me in.”
Altuve’s the second Astro to garner player of the month honors this season. His double-play partner, shortstop Carlos
Correa, won for the month of May.
Gurriel garners top rookie honor
Yuli Gurriel, who retained his rookie status by a mere at-bat last season, took home the American League’s honors for rookie of the month for July.
Gurriel batted .304 with on-base and slugging percentages of .333 and .565, respectively, in 92 atbats in July. The 33-yearold Cuban slugged five home runs, nine doubles and recorded 20 RBI in the month.
He’s the first AL rookie of the month this season not named Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees phenom who won for April, May and June. No Astro had won the award since Carlos Correa in June 2015.
Odds and ends
Astros manager A.J. Hinch expected to have lefthander Francisco Liriano available out of the bullpen Wednesday night for the first time since Liriano was acquired Monday at the non-waiver trade deadline. Liriano last started for the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. …
The Astros will face righthanders Cesar Valdez (1-0, 5.00), Marco Estrada (4-7, 5.19) and Marcus Stroman (10-5, 3.19) in this weekend’s series against the Blue Jays. Valdez spent last season with the Astros organization at Class AAA Fresno. Hinch was Valdez’s first major league manager, with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010. …
Charlie Morton’s start Monday earned him an extra $625,000 by virtue of it being his 15th of the season. The two-year, $14 million deal the oft-injured veteran righthander signed in November came with built-in bonuses of $625,000 for reaching benchmarks of 15, 20, 25 and 30 starts in a season.