Astros News: Cristian Javier return from injury, Jose Abreu, series win over Tigers

Given the sheer number of injuries the Houston Astros are having to deal with at the moment, it was welcome news that starter Cristian Javier was getting activated this past weekend. Javier had been dealing with a neck injury, but all the signs were that the issue had been resolved and he rejoined an Astros' rotation that finally looked like it was getting healthy.

Unfortunately, Javier's return to the mound was anything but triumphant. Against the Tigers on Saturday, Javier could not make it past the second inning and was charged with seven runs on five hits (including a pair of homers) and four walks.

If one is looking for a silver lining, Hunter Brown gave Houston five much-needed strong innings out of the bullpen once Javier was out of the game. However, clearly Javier still has some work left to do to knock the rust off and he said as much after the game. Hopefully the problem is just rust and not a symptom of a larger injury issue.

Astros News: Houston gets sorely needed series win over Tigers

Despite the hiccup on Saturday with Javier on the mound, the Astros got what they needed most in a series win over the Tigers. Detroit is sneaky good this year as well, so this wasn't just a freebie. After Framber Valdez shut the Tigers down in his seven innings of work in Friday's 5-2 win (followed by Saturday's debacle), Justin Verlander was lights out on Sunday as he struck out eight in seven scoreless innings in the series-clinching win.

The star of the series for Houston, though, was probably Kyle Tucker, who is on quite the heater at the moment. Tucker leads all of baseball with 13 home runs this season and homered in the two games he played in the series while also drawing four walks along the way. He was an absolute menace against the Tigers and Houston is going to need him to keep it up.

Astros News: Jose Abreu seems to be doing well since being sent down

One of the bigger storylines this season for the Astros is the apparent (and continued) downfall of Jose Abreu. It was clear that Abreu's struggles had become untenable, but Houston still caught everyone by surprise by sending him down to the minors to figure out and fix whatever problem is ailing the former MVP.

There have been scant updates about Abreu since the move, but we did get a report over the weekend that Abreu is apparently doing quite well down at the Astros' minor league complex and is in a good mental place at the moment.

Hopefully the coaches down there can get him right, because a healthy and productive Abreu would be a huge asset for Houston this season. Unfortunately, one wonders if that is going to be possible given his age and recent injury history.

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