Comeback attempt
» Steven Souza Jr. is trying to fight his way back from injury.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The video is gruesome, the sort of injury to watch once and never again. Steven Souza Jr. rounds third base and heads for home at Chase Field. The outfielder reaches the plate and plants his left foot. All of a sudden, Souza’s leg buckles and his knee contorts in an unnatural way.
Souza suffered a total tear of his ACL and LCL, a partial tear of his MCL and a posterior lateral capsule tear. The injury occurred in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ final exhibition game before the 2019 season. Souza underwent surgery and, since then, has appeared in 11 major league games.
Signing a minor league deal with the Astros this winter afforded the 31year-old Souza a chance to reestablish himself.
“I thought I was ready last spring, health-wise, I think my recovery was difficult,” Souza said Tuesday. “Once I played a couple days in a row, it was difficult to run back out there and my knee just felt tired, so to speak. Obviously with the shutdown it hurt, but now I feel fantastic.”
Souza said his preexisting relationship with Astros general manager James Click played a vital role in his decision to sign with Houston. They overlapped in Tampa Bay from 2015-17, when Souza hit 63 home runs and posted a .753 OPS in 378 games. Souza struck 30 home runs in 2017.
A phone call with manager Dusty Baker swayed Souza, too. Baker told Souza he is “just looking for ballplayers.”
“For me, that’s all I can ask for, having a real opportunity and having someone give me a legitimate opportunity to show I can still play this game,” Souza said.
Souza, in camp as a non-roster invitee, will ostensibly compete with Chas McCormick for the team’s fourth outfielder spot. Souza said on Tuesday he feels comfortable at all three outfield positions and is willing to play whatever — and whenever — the team asks.
“It’s been two years since my injury and I feel better than I’ve felt in years. For me, it’s just getting back into the swing and rhythm of the game,” Souza said. “The rest will take care of itself.”
Testing program delays Whitley
Forrest Whitley’s continued absence from major league spring training comes as he works to complete the league’s intake testing protocols, the Astros announced Tuesday.
Whitley is among five players who have not joined workouts due to intake procedures. This does not automatically indicate they’ve tested positive for COVID-19. Players underwent a PCR test and an antibody test upon reporting for spring training. All are required to observe a five-day quarantine afterward.
Whitley and righthander Peter Solomon are the only two 40-man roster players delayed by intake testing. Righthanders Blair Henley and Hector Velasquez are missing along with catchers Korey Lee and Colton Shaver.
Heralded outfield prospect Pedro Leon is not in camp, either. According to the Astros, Leon’s delay is due to issues concerning his visa. Once he arrives in Florida, he must undergo the aforementioned intake screening.
Leadoff spot may take time to fill
The search for George Springer’s replacement atop the Astros’ batting order may take all spring and bleed into the regular season, manager Dusty Baker intimated Tuesday.
Springer’s departure for Toronto this winter left the Astros without their leadoff hitter, a void that may be more gaping than the hole he left in center field. After A.J. Hinch moved him up in the order in 2016, Springer cemented himself as one of the greatest leadoff hitters in franchise history, clubbing 38 leadoff home runs and a major league-record 34 postseason RBIs.
“I’ve thought about that ever since we lost Springer,” Baker said of his vacancy atop the batting order. “We’ve got a few candidates, some like to bat leadoff, some don’t. It’s going to be kind of an experiment in spring training and possibly, you know, as the season goes on make a couple other moves if necessary.”
When describing his top priorities for a leadoff hitter on Tuesday, Baker mentioned on-base percentage and speed. He named Myles Straw asa candidate to replace Springer atop the batting order, but acknowledged the club will experiment in Grapefruit League games with different lineups.
Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman are other obvious candidates to lead off.
“It’s going to be hard to replace (Springer’s) power in that spot,” Baker said. “But we’re looking for guys that are going to get on base. That’s number one, so you can put the pitcher in the stretch. Hopefully someone that’s a threat to steal to have the rest of the guys hitting behind him get some more fastballs.”