Astros News: Mauricio Dubon injury update, roster culling for Neris, Yainer Diaz

The Houston Astros managed to salvage their series against the Orioles over the weekend thanks to a solid all-around effort on both sides of the ball on Sunday to earn a split. Yusei Kikuchi pitched pretty well, the bullpen including the newly re-acquired Hector Neris locked things down, and five different players drove in runs. All-in-all, a solid performance against a really tough opponent in Baltimore.

However, the weekend also brought a number of interesting news tidbits beyond the series split with the Orioles. Here are some of the highlights.

Astros News: Mauricio Dubon appears to avoid injury after scary crash into wall

Mauricio Dubon has struggled the last couple of months at the plate, but his ability to play all over the field has been invaluable for the Astros, especially with Kyle Tucker still out. The guy shows up to play every single night, and even when he isn't hitting, he plays hard. That was on full display on Sunday when Dubon made a fantastic catch in left after covering a ton of ground at a key moment of the game.

Unfortunately, the end of that play resulted in Dubon crashing into the wall and being laid out on the field for a little bit. Houston played things safe and pulled the valuable Astro from the game after the play, but it appears as though he just got the wind knocked out of him. Luckily, Dubon seems to have avoided injury from the play.

Astros News: Houston DFAs Jacob Amaya to make room for Hector Neris

As soon as Hector Neris was DFA'd by the Cubs, Astros fans were hoping that Houston would take a chance on him turning back into the guy he was in 2022 and 2023. The fit just made too much sense, especially at his lower price tag, and Dana Brown seemed to agree as the Astros snatched him up.

However, that did mean that the Astros had to make room on their roster for Neris, and the team had a number of potential options available to be culled. Houston ultimately designated Jacob Amaya for assignment, and optioned both Seth Martinez and Shawn Dubin to the minors to complete the move.

Astros News: Yainer Diaz is going absolutely wild in August

It is easy for consistent excellence from a player to get lost at this time of year. Roster moves are happening left and right, as teams manage injuries and get their rosters set up for the playoffs. However, Yainer Diaz's current hot streak deserves more attention than it is getting.

After a tough month of May, Diaz has been easily one of the Astros' best hitter since then. June and July saw him put up really strong numbers at the plate, and August has treated him equally well, if not better, with a .319/.354/.539 line this month with six homers. The few fans out there that were mad that Houston didn't bring back Martin Maldonado are in shambles right now.

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