Inside the Red Sox’s Rollercoaster Ride with Roman Anthony: Genius or Gambit?

Hader’s removal from the roster at this critical juncture of the Astros’ season is yet another gut punch in a season that has largely been defined — but not yet derailed — by injuries. That Houston remains in first place in the AL West despite such a staggering number of ailments is a credit to every level of the organization, but losing a six-time All-Star in Hader right before the stretch run is an especially daunting proposition. At the same time, this is also an opportunity for Houston to flex its surprising depth in the bullpen. Bryan Abreu — who closed out Wednesday’s win for his first save of the season — has a proven track record of being an elite setup man, and is a natural replacement. But the Astros also boast multiple effective southpaws beyond the star lefty in Hader: Sousa (2.57 ERA), Okert (3.23 ERA, 0.849 WHIP), and Bryan King (3.10 ERA) all rate as upper-echelon lefty bullpen arms this season, providing an unexpected layer of lefty protection that most teams losing a pitcher like Hader could not match. To be clear, replacing Hader is no small task. His absence could have a cascading effect that forces Houston’s healthy relievers to carry a larger burden of high-leverage innings than they are equipped to handle. But on paper, this isn’t a bullpen that should be written off quite as quickly as you might assume considering the circumstances. At the very least, how Espada manages this unit without Hader will be one of the more fascinating Astros storylines moving forward.

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