SEATTLE (AP) 鈥� As a 1-8 road trip for the Houston Astros nears its conclusion, manager Joe Espada thrice said he was 鈥渄oing well鈥� despite having every reason not to be feeling so optimistic.
The Astros placed All-Star shortstop on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain and rookie right-hander Tatsuya Imai on the 15-day IL with right arm fatigue Monday. The pair of moves were the latest blows to last-place Houston鈥檚 roster, which has endured an abundance of injuries early in the season.
鈥淲e鈥檒l get through this,鈥� Espada said. 鈥淏ut, I鈥檓 doing well. I just don鈥檛 like when our players are injured. They work really hard in the offseason to come back in shape, and expectations are for us to go out there and perform and get back to the postseason, and this makes it tough to have our guys getting banged up. But, we鈥檒l fight through this.鈥�
Espada said he hopes it鈥檚 not a long IL stint for , and that Imai will undergo more testing after .
In corresponding moves, the Astros recalled right-hander J.P. France, left-hander Colton Gordon and infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land. Right-hander Jayden Murray was optioned to Sugar Land after pitching two innings and allowing two earned runs in Sunday鈥檚 game.
Sunday鈥檚 starter, Cody Bolton, left in the second inning because of mid-back tightness. Hunter Brown, who Bolton replaced in the rotation, was on April 5.
because of a right shoulder strain.
Despite the losses of several players who were expected to be key contributors for Houston, Espada is doing his best to stay optimistic.
鈥淲e got the healthy bodies. They鈥檒l be here,鈥� Espada said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going through a tough little stretch here. Trying to keep the boys locked in, and they鈥檙e locked in. Through seasons, you go through some good stretches and bad stretches, and you got to put those behind you. We鈥檒l get through this.鈥�
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