Astros injury surge could push Jim Crane toward inevitable decision

Things have taken a dramatic turn for the Houston Astros. The Astros were one of the early surprises during the first week of the regular season; the offense was hitting, Hunter Brown was doing Hunter Brown things, and they won five of their first seven games. Since then, Houston has only once in their last nine tries, and they are suddenly in last place in the American League West.

Injuries have decimated the Astros' pitching staff. Brown and Cristian Javier are dealing with Grade 2 shoulder strains and are going to miss the next several weeks at least. Tatsuya Imai may be ticketed for an IL stint, and ditto for Cody Bolton, who was immediately sent back to Houston after exiting from his start early on Sunday with a back injury.

Throughout the offseason, there was a fear that the Astros could be the team that implodes early. The first week had them ready to prove their critics wrong, but now, it's hard to see how they avoid that fate. Brown isn't coming back anytime soon, and even when healthy, Imai has proved that he still needs time before ascending toward becoming a top-of-the-rotation arm, assuming it actually does happen.

The trade for Mike Burrows also doesn't look great at the moment, considering he is carrying an ERA of 5.63 during his first three starts of the season.

Jim Crane may soon be forced to act if the Astros' injuries lead to a spiral.

It's not a question of if the Astros will spiral; they already are. The hope is that the offense can carry them back into the cotending conversation, but depending on Jose Altuve and Christian Walker to continue to turn back the clock feels like a setup to be disappointed.

If the Astros' spiral continues, it's only a matter of time before owner Jim Crane gets antsy. Joe Espada and Dana Brown are each in the final year of their respective contracts with the team, and Crane has never sounded overly eager to bring either party back. The Astros dragged their feet at the start of the offseason in confirming that Espada and Brown would be back for the 2026 season, and Crane had several opportunities to offer a ringing endorsement throughout the winter but passed.

The writing is already on the wall. If the Astros don't turn their season around soon, Crane is going to make a change. The only question that would be left is whether he completely cleans house or leaves Brown in place until the end of the season.