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The Houston Astros are entering the weekend one game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for having the best record in the American League, which is impressive considering their season has been defined by endless injuries. Specifically, the Astros' pitching staff has been decimated by injuries, and the trend continued on Friday. The Astros announced that left-handed starting pitcher Brandon Walter has been placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation.
Returning to the Major League level for the first time since 2023, Walter has been a welcome addition to an Astros' rotation that has been without a majority of their Opening Day starting rotation for most of the season. In 9 starts this season, Walter has an ERA of 3.35 while striking out over 24 percent of the hitters he has faced this season.
Taking Walter's spot on the 26-man roster is right-handed pitcher Nick Hernandez. Hernandez has been an up-and-down arm for the Astros over the last two seasons. In 2 appearances with the Astros earlier this season, Walter allowed 2 runs on 4 hits while walking 2.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/P89oHwDhJx
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 25, 2025
Astros can't catch a break as another key player goes down
Swapping Hernandez for Walter wasn't the only move the Astros made on Friday, as they also claimed infielder Logan Davidson off waivers from the Athletics and designated Nick Robertson for assignment. Davidson has been assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land. Given the injury to Paredes, Davidson will serve as added depth.
With Lance McCullers Jr. also being placed on the IL earlier this week, it stands to reason that the Astros will look to add a starting pitcher before the trade deadline next Thursday. After trading Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signaled that they are ready to sell ahead of the deadline. While the Astros have been linked to Diamondbacks' All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez, they likely will also have interest in Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen as they look to stabilize their rotation.
A busy week is ahead for Dana Brown, who will need to use trades to supplement the recent injuries to their starting rotation while prioritizing adding a bat.