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The Houston Astros are constantly in figure-it-out mode, forced to funnel in new players amid injuries and departures. Since beginning their current stretch of eight consecutive playoff berths, they have undergone significant changes in personnel and in their management structure.
Although, regardless of who is showing up for work, the results are usually the same. This franchise knows how to win, and that's because it is always ready to adapt.
Even small and potentially trivial transactions carry greater weight in Space City. Astros general manager Dana Brown hopes his latest decision can buy the team a little more time until the pitching staff gets healthier.
Houston is optioning Nick Hernandez to Triple-A Sugar Land and promoting fellow right-handed reliever Luis Contreras to the MLB roster, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Hernandez was one of multiple victims in the instantly famous Nick Kurtz game, as the Athletics pummeled the Astros in Daikin Park for a 15-3 victory on Friday night.
He allowed two solo home runs, including one of the superb rookie's four dingers, and now finds himself back in the minor leagues. The 30-year-old has a 7.71 ERA and seven strikeouts in three appearances this season.
Contreras has his own problems. He surrendered nine runs in nine innings pitched during his first stint in the big leagues and has been in Sugar Land since mid-April. Obviously, the Astros felt his 3.34 ERA with the Space Cowboys justified another look.
These are the type of choices an injury-ravaged club has to make: switching out one struggling hurler for another. Options are limited with a multitude of pitchers currently in the throes of a lengthy recovery process. Even so, Houston's 3.71 team ERA is best in MLB.
Hunter Brown is enjoying a breakout year. Framber Valdez has logged at least six innings in 14 of his last 16 starts. Closer Josh Hader has one blown save in 28 opportunities. And four additional relievers have a sub-2.60 ERA while posting at least 40 innings in 2025. The Astros Way is not just a buzz term. It is a proven and battle-tested philosophy.
Not every hurler will flourish in Houston, of course, but there is optimism that even a scuffling one like Luis Contreras can succeed under the right circumstances. He will try to make the most of this second chance.
