Astros place half of starting 9 on injured list for ‘unspecified reasons’

Simply awful news has arrived for the Houston Astros, as it was just announced that five players from the starting lineup have been sent to the Injured List. 

While the Houston Astros are focused on winning the AL West and going on a deep postseason run this campaign, the team has been hit with some major adversity. That’s because it was just announced that five players from the starting lineup have been sent to the Injured List.

What in the heck? Indeed, Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Robel Garcia and Martin Maldonado have all been sent to the IL. According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, the five players will be sidelined due to health protocols. Dusty Baker revealed that all five players have received at least one COVID vaccine shot. 

An alarming amount of Houston Astros players have been sent to the Injured List

When you have five standout players ruled out seemingly out of the blue, it’s most definitely going to raise plenty of eyebrows. Per journalist Broderick Zerpa of beisbologo.com, his sources are also telling him that an Astros player has tested positive for COVID and due to close contacts, up to seven players could be out of action. Yikes.

Thus far this season, Houston has posted a 6-5 record and sit tied for second place of the AL West standings with the Seattle Mariners. The LA Angels hold the top spot. While it’s still so early in the season, Houston wants to no question get off on the right foot and keep making noise in the division.

With so many players expected to miss some time due to COVID-19 protocols, per Zerpa, that could most certainly put a wrench in the plans. Houston and the MLB will do everything possible to make sure the team is as safe as possible as they go through this coronavirus battle. It truly is unfortunate for the squad, though.