Josh Hader and the Houston Astros have not gotten the good news they were hoping for.
Hader is reportedly going to seek a second opinion after he landed on the 15-day injured list with a left-shoulder strain that the Astros reported is expected to take more than the requisite two-ish weeks — though the club reportedly does not have an official timetable for his return.
The IL stint is retroactive to Aug. 11, since Hader has not pitched since last Friday in New York. Hader picked up the win by going two innings — and throwing a season-high 36 pitches — in Houston’s 5-3, 10-inning win over the Yankees in the series opener of their three-game set.
The Astros are 3-2 without Hader and just won two of three games over the Boston Red Sox. Houston got saves from both interim closer Bryan Abreu and high-leverage left-hander Bennett Sousa.
Why Does Josh Hader Need A Second Opinion?
The Astros placed Hader on the IL on Wednesday, after he experienced shoulder discomfort that kept him from being available in Houston’s series opener against the Red Sox.
The initial prognosis, according to Astros manager Joe Espada, was Hader would miss “more than two weeks” due to the injury in his throwing shoulder.
“Letâs give Josh the space to go and see the doctors,â said Espada, according to MLB.com.
Hader and the Astros undoubtedly want the All-Star closer back on the mound as soon as possible, since he is third in the majors in saves (28) and boasts the sixth-best K/9 rate (13) in the majors, per FanGraphs.
Plus, the Astros are trying to hold off the hard-charging Seattle Mariners for the American League West crown. Houston (68-53) leads Seattle by just one game, and each club has won five head-to-head games in the season series. They will only play three more head to heads, Sept. 19-21, in Houston.
Who Will Close With Josh Hader Out?
There’s no doubt losing Hader is a colossal blow for the Astros, even though they boast the best K/9 rate for relievers in baseball (10.3) and ninth-best FIP (3.82). Hader has a 2.05 ERA and 0.85 WHIP.
“Hader has been back to his typically dominant self in 2025,” Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors wrote. “His colossal 21.1 percentage swinging-strike rate is tied with Mason Miller for tops among all big league pitchers â starters and relievers alike â with at least 10 innings pitched this season.”
But despite Hader’s dominance, and experience pitching in close-out situations, he isn’t the only dominant reliever coming out of Houston’s pen. Abreu (2.40), Sousa (2.44) and lefty Steven Okert (2.84) each are ahead of Hader in FIP this year, and each has at least one save this season.
“I feel good about all those guys,” Espada said. “I was talking to the relievers about this, [knowing] Josh Hader and how successful heâs been, he needs guys to give him the ball with the lead. So all those guys have set him up to be the closer that he is.
“Not taking anything from Josh. Josh is probably the best, but you need guys to help him get to that point, and these guys are capable of doing that.”
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