Astros injury update good news for one reliever, but Josh Hader's timeline a mystery

The stability of the Houston Astros' bullpen was put in jeopardy at the start of spring training, considering both Josh Hader and Enyel De Los Santos were unable to throw bullpen sessions at the start of camp. Hader very much remains a question mark ahead of Opening Day, but Joe Espada delivered some encouraging news on De Los Santos' status.

The Astros manager revealed that De Los Santos will throw his first bullpen session on Wednesday, and that should give him ample time to ramp up ahead of Opening Day.

Astros' latest Josh Hader injury update is filled with spring training hope and little substance

Injuries are starting to become notable for the Astros' pitching staff in camp. While that's to be expected, to an extent, it's hard for fans not to think about how 2025 went off the rails because of the endless injuries that decimated the team's rotation and bullpen.

Assuming De Los Santos feels good after his bullpen session on Wednesday, that should place him on a path to breaking camp with the Astros at the end of March. De Los Santos has been a journeyman in recent years, but his stop in Houston at the end of the 2025 season suggested that the Astros could fix him. There was an uptick in his strikeout rate, and the walks went down, suggesting that he could transform into a high-leverage relief pitcher in 2026.

It's a different story for Hader. There's no doubt that when healthy, Hader is one of the best closers in the game. The question has been his recovery from the shoulder strain he suffered last August. The Astros didn't exactly provide the clearest updates at the time, and that appears to be the trend in spring training. It certainly is encouraging that Hader could throw a bullpen session, but could has been at the center of his entire recovery.

The Astros valued quantity over quality with their moves this offseason. In other words, they weren't accounting for the idea that Hader may not be ready ahead of Opening Day. The timing of the setback for Hader isn't the worst-possible outcome for the Astros, but they will need him healthy for the duration of the 2026 season if they are going to be a true contender.