Correa, Sanchez to miss rest of the month
A.J. Hinch’s medical minute took a little bit longer than usual Wednesday, the upshot being that neither shortstop Carlos Correa nor pitcher Aaron Sanchez will be returning to action until September.
Both were placed on the 10day injured list, with utility man Myles Straw and righthander Cy Sneed returning from Class AAA Round Rock to take their roster positions. Straw got Wednesday’s start Wednesday in left field as Hinch gave Michael Brantley a regularly scheduled night off.
Hinch said Correa and Sanchez are done for the month because of the nature of their injuries — back discomfort for Correa, a sore right pectoral for Sanchez — and the approach of September’s roster expansion.
“We are encouraged by what they’re doing and where they will be when they get back into baseball activities,” the manager said.
Hinch said Sanchez will have to get back into a throwing program as the soreness subsides, but he expects the righthander to pitch again during the regular season. His absence from the rotation likely will require the Astros to call up a starter from Round Rock for Sunday’s game against the Angels and the road series at Toronto that runs from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1.
Brad Peacock is not an option as a spot starter, the manager said, because the Astros “brought him back and retrained him specifically as a reliever, and he is going to stay with that.”
Meanwhile, righthander Josh James, who has been on the injured list since late July, will pitch an inning for Round Rock on Thursday at Memphis and probably will pitch another rehab inning this weekend.
“He is starting to get back into game action, which is really great and encouraging,” Hinch said. “He is unlikely to be with us until September unless things change.”
Diaz takes BP, nears return to lineup
Aledmys Diaz took batting practice and went through his normal infield pregame Wednesday as he moves closer to weekend rehab games in the minors and a return to the Astros’ roster as soon as Tuesday.
Diaz was hospitalized Aug. 17 after experiencing dizziness on the team bus en route to the Oakland Coliseum. He was placed on the 10-day injured list but said Wednesday he feels good and is optimistic about a quick return to the lineup.
“It was great,” he said. “This was the first time (on the field) in a couple of days. I took ground balls, my normal routine, and I’m feeling fine now. We’re going to take advantage of a couple of days left, working in the (batting) cage and on the field, and hopefully be ready this weekend for some action.”
Manager A.J. Hinch said the Astros’ athletic training staff will continue to monitor Diaz’s condition and pace his rehab so he can be in position to return in full form when he’s eligible.
Diaz said he still has no idea what prompted the dizzy spell that led to his brief hospital visit.
“We made sure that I went to the hospital and got checked, and thank God everything was fine,” he said. “Right now, I feel 100 percent. I’ll do the same routine (Thursday), and hopefully it will be the same for the next four or five days.”
Big ‘Wooooo!’ de-doo for Flair’s No. 1 fan
Astros outfielder Josh Reddick strutted onto the field Wednesday night, wearing a blue robe and a replica of professional wrestling’s “Big Gold” championship belt around his waist, and promptly gave a big hug to the man who became famous by wearing both, former wrestling champion Ric Flair.
Flair, who delivered the first pitch to Reddick prior to the game, was on hand to greet Reddick and meet with fans on the outfielder’s bobblehead night. The two have been linked through Reddick’s well-known affection for professional wrestling and the adaptation of Flair’s “Wooooo!” holler into his hitting walk-up routine.
Reddick has been a fan of Flair, 70, since the veteran’s heyday in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, and Flair now returns the favor.
Using a line he one applied to himself, Flair said, “Josh is married now, but before he got married, Josh Reddick would have been a kiss-stealing, wheelingdealing, limousine-riding, jetflying, home run-hitting Houston Astro that kissed the girls in Houston and made them cry. Wooooo!”
Unlike many of the celebrities who deliver pregame pitches, Flair and his wife, Wendy, arrived a couple of hours before the game and mingled with fans on the field while the Astros took batting practice.
“In 2017, when I was following the Astros during their run to the World Series, I was sick and unable to attend,” Flair said. “So just to be here, I’m thankful for that and for the respect that Josh and the Astros have paid me.”
Delivering the pregame pitch, he said, “is an honor for me. It’s a blessing. It should be on everybody’s bucket list.”