One Lingering Concern Houston Astros Need to Figure Out Down Stretch

The Houston Astros have one lingering injury concern that could determine their fate down the stretch of the 2024 MLB season.

Jul 14, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) and right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) look on as designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) waves to the crowd before the game against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros have become synonymous with the MLB Postseason for nearly the last decade. Their incredible streak of seven straight American League Championship Series appearances is in danger this season.

The Astros are currently 58-55, as Framber Valdez’s near no-hitter on Tuesday night helped snap a three-game losing streak. Now four games behind the last wild card spot, currently occupied by the Kansas City Royals, Houston has their work cut out for them.

Their schedule through the first week of September is daunting as they are playing a large majority of their games against teams with winning records. Having a chance to play against teams ahead of them in the standings is a blessing and a curse.

Houston can gain ground facing off against those teams with head-to-head victories. But, a few losses and they will be buried even further down the standings.

Adding to the urgency is how much easier the schedules are for some of the competition the Astros are chasing. Alas, that is far from their only concern down the stretch of the season.

In the opinion of Bradford Doolittle of ESPN, their biggest lingering concern is the health of star outfielder Kyle Tucker. He mentioned their inability to plug the hole at first base as another concern, but that can no longer be fixed. Getting Tucker back in the lineup and producing at a high level is their No. 1 priority.

“...It's too late to change that, but on the horizon, eventually, is the return of Kyle Tucker. Lest we forget, for a brief period before he was injured, Tucker was very much part of an AL MVP race that has since launched into the stratosphere without him. The latest reports are that Tucker might not be back until September. If that news doesn't get better, the Astros might actually be in trouble,” Doolittle wrote.

In 60 games, Tucker has recorded a slash line of .266/.395/.584 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI in 214 at-bats. He was also stealing bases effectively, swiping 10 bags without being caught once.

From the last time that Doolittle shared a Stock Watch, Houston’s pace for runs scored has dropped from 781 to 736. A spark is needed offensively for this team, especially if Tucker won’t be in the lineup for at least three more weeks.

The Astros came in at No. 15 in the rankings this week, the fifth-place team in the second-tier contenders. Their projected win total has dropped from 86.8, which had them in ninth place, to 84.4.

The odds of making the postseason have dropped considerably as well. It was a 65.6 percent chance last time, but is essentially now a coin flip at 50.4 percent. Championship odds are now 3.2 percent as well.