Astros promote two players after injuries to Gonzalez and Rondon

The Astros add two depth players from Triple-A while Rondon and Gonzalez heal.

The Houston Astros won on Labor Day 4-1 versus the Twins, but two players left the game injured. Marwin Gonzalez left after telling AJ Hinch that he was having trouble loosening up his right oblique. Gonzalez was ready to bat, but Hinch was playing it safe with his super utility star. It was later announced that he left with right oblique discomfort. Unless another option emerges over the final month, Gonzalez could be the primary left fielder in the playoffs. Rest him for the playoffs.

Then we had a scare in the ninth inning as co-closer Hector Rondon took a liner off the wrist. While he did leave the game early, X-rays came up negative. “It’s just a flesh (muscle) wound.” in my best Monty Python voice. Hinch mentioned that he would hold Rondon and Gonzalez out of game action for the rest of the series. Meanwhile, the Astros are still trying to maintain their lead in the AL West.

September call-ups.

The good thing about September is that rosters expand and you can have more than 25 players on the active roster. Why not call up some extra players to fill in while these players recover? Yes, the Fresno Grizzlies are in the playoffs and need to field the best team possible. But, what happens at the major league level is a little more important.

According to Jake Kaplan, the Astros have recalled J.D. Davis and Dean Deetz from Fresno. Davis can fill in for Gonzalez, but he may not get too much playing time. We were discussing Davis’ future with the Astros on last night’s Talking Stros. Depending on what happens to Gonzalez this offseason as he reaches free agency, Davis could semi-fill in his shoes in 2019.

Davis batted .342 with 17 homers and 81 RBI with the Grizzlies this year. While he has yet to break out in the big leagues, he has 93 at-bats with the Astros this year batting .176 with one homer and five RBI. He has also pitched a few times in situations where they wanted to save a bullpen arm. Davis can play third base and left-field. All stats from Baseball-Reference.

Deetz is looking to make his MLB debut soon after his career stalled after a suspension cost him 80-games this season. Deetz is being groomed as a starter but has settled into the bullpen after missing most of the season. In his 27 games in the minors, Deetz had a 2-0 record with a 0.89 ERA while striking out 63 batters in 40 1/3 innings.

He was added to the 40-man roster this past offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He could be a reliever used to eat up 2-3 innings occasionally, but he is not fully stretched out. This will be a great audition for Deetz to show the brass what he can offer for 2019 and beyond. Let’s play some ball and welcome Deetz and Davis to the playoff chase.