Astros' Misael Tamarez: Transferred to development list
Rotowire
The Astros placed Tamarez on the development list Thursday, Kenny Van Doren of MLB Pipeline reports.
Tamarez entered the season as one of Houston's better pitching prospects, but he struggled mightily with Triple-A Sugar Land and shifted to a relief role starting June 8. Even from that point, he's posted a 10.38 ERA and 2.08 WHIP, so the Astros are giving Tamarez some time to reset in the hopes of resurrecting his development.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Limited to catch
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Garcia (elbow) played catch Thursday after originally being scheduled for a bullpen session, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia struggled in his rehab appearance July 4, primarily due to issues with his location. Manager Joe Espada framed the downgraded activity as a precaution, though the team has also not announced when Garcia will make his next rehab start.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Idle Thursday
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Dubon isn't in the Astros' lineup Thursday against the Marlins.
Dubon will catch a breather Thursday after going 1-for-6 with a walk through the first two games of the series. Joey Loperfido, Jake Meyers and Trey Cabbage will start across the outfield from left to right while Dubon sits.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Not in Thursday's lineup
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Alvarez (hip) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Marlins.
The 27-year-old was removed from Wednesday's contest due to right hip tightness and will be out of the starting nine for at least one game. Alvarez also sat out a game over the weekend due to knee soreness, and the Astros might be extra cautious with the slugger since the All-Star break is just a few days away.
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Astros' Kaleb Ort: Sent back to Sugar Land
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The Astros optioned Ort to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Ort registered two appearances with the Astros after being recalled from Triple-A on Saturday, throwing three shutout innings while striking out six batters. Despite his solid showing, he'll be sent back to the minors in order to clear room for Jake Bloss (shoulder), who was reinstated from the IL on Thursday. Ort has been dominant in the minors (0.75 ERA in 12 innings) since joining the Astros organization in late May, so it's possible he returns to Houston in the near future.
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Astros' Jake Bloss: Activated ahead of start
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The Astros reinstated Bloss (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Thursday ahead of his start versus Miami, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Right shoulder inflammation has kept Bloss sidelined since June 22, but he's now been given the green light to return to Houston's rotation. It's likely he works under a pitch-count restriction during his first start back from the IL, however, as he was only able to reach 55 pitches during his rehab start. Kaleb Ort was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Plays catch Thursday
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Tucker (shin) played catch on the field before Thursday's game against Miami, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Thursday marks the first time Tucker has done any sort of work on the field since he landed on the injured list in early June. The 27-year-old outfielder has already been ruled out through the All-Star break, and the fact he has been on the IL for over a month likely means he'll require a minor-league rehab assignment.
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Astros' Jose Altuve: Sitting out All-Star Game
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Altuve announced Thursday that he will not participate in the All-Star Game on Sunday in order to "rest a sore left hand," Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The soreness stems from a hit-by-pitch Friday against the Twins, and the 34-year-old has opted for some rest during the midseason break. Altuve sat out one game after being plunked, but he's been back in the starting nine for the past three contests and is in the midst of an eight-game hit streak. Marcus Semien will take over the starting spot at second base for the American League.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Roughed up in latest rehab start
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Garcia (elbow) covered 1.1 innings while striking out two and giving up four earned runs on three hits and one walk in his latest rehab start last Thursday with Double-A Corpus Christi.
After tossing a perfect inning in his first rehab outing June 28 in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Garcia was much less sharp while jumping up three levels for his second rehab start. While he spotted 21 of his 31 pitches for strikes and hit 94 mph with his fastball in the latest outing, his command wasn't on point, as he served up two home runs among the three hits he allowed. Due to effects of Hurricane Beryl in Texas, Garcia's rehab program has been slowed down this week, though he's scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday, according to MLB.com. If all goes well with the side session, Garcia could then make his third rehab start as soon as this weekend.
Pena went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Marlins.
The theft was Pena's first since June 14. He hit .240 (18-for-75) across the 20 games in between steals, and he's up to 11 pilfers on 15 attempts this season. The shortstop continues to hit well in a starting role, batting .277 with a .711 OPS, seven home runs, 40 RBI and 46 runs scored across 90 contests this season.
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Astros' Jose Altuve: Nabs steal in win
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Altuve went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Marlins.
Altuve has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 21-for-56 (.375) over that span. He's rounded his production during the hot stretch with two home runs, four steals, nine RBI and 10 runs scored. The second baseman's .822 OPS on the year is his lowest in the last four seasons, but he's still put together an excellent campaign by batting .309 with 13 homers, 14 steals, 41 RBI and 55 runs scored through 89 contests.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Drives in three
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Diaz went 3-for-4 with three RBI in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Marlins.
Diaz opened and closed the scoring Wednesday, delivering an RBI single in the first inning and a two-run single in the sixth. This was his seventh three-hit game over his last 15 contests, a span in which he's batting .406 (26-for-64). The catcher is up to a .286/.312/.415 slash line with seven home runs, 48 RBI, 38 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples and one stolen base over 81 games this season. Diaz isn't a high-end defensive catcher, but his place in the lineup is secure when he's swinging the bat as well as he has lately.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Hits second homer
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Loperfido went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a triple and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Marlins.
Loperfido has hit safely in his last four games, going 5-for-13 with four extra-base hits and four RBI in that span. This was his first multi-hit effort since June 21. The outfield prospect is up to a .288/.337/.450 slash line with two homers, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, five doubles, one triple and two stolen bases across 87 plate appearances. Loperfido continues to play in the corner outfield spots, though he's seen slightly less than a strong-side platoon role over the last week. Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon continue to be Loperfido's biggest competitors for playing time.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Shines in win
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Valdez (8-5) allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out 10 over seven innings to earn the win over the Marlins on Wednesday.
This is the seventh time this season Valdez has gone at least seven innings, and he's allowed more than one run in just one of those outings. The southpaw has earned quality starts in four of his last five games, allowing 13 runs (10 earned) over 30.2 innings in that span. For the season, he's at a 3.66 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 82:32 K:BB across 98.1 innings through 16 starts. He's been giving up a lot of hits this season, but he's done a decent job at damage control and could have a strong second half if he can keep traffic off the bases.
Alvarez was removed from Wednesday's game against the Marlins due to right hip tightness, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. He went 1-for-1 with a single, a walk and a stolen base before departing.
Alvarez remained in the game after a trainer checked on him following his RBI single in the second inning, but the decision to pull him was made when his spot in the order came up in the fourth. The severity of his hip injury remains unknown, though it's possible he sits down another game or two after also missing Sunday's contest due to knee soreness.
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Astros' Victor Caratini: Still not running full speed
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Caratini (hip) took part in drills Tuesday but still isn't running at full speed, MLB.com reports.
Caratini has been ramping up his activity for the last week, but he won't be sent out on a rehab assignment until he is running at 100 percent. He'll be out through the All-Star break, but his timeline for a return beyond that is unclear.
