Looking to finish off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves, the Houston Astros are currently down 5-2 to the home team. If the Braves hold on to win, it's possible that the Astros could lose control of first place in the AL West. The Seattle Mariners' torrid form lately has led to a tie at the top of the division. Regardless of Sunday's result, the Astros hope to get a boost to their lineup soon. Houston GM Dana Brown spoke about third baseman Isaac Paredes' looming return from the IL. Team beat writer Matt Kawahara shared Paredes' potential timeline according to Brown on X, formerly Twitter.
“Dana Brown told the Astros’ pregame radio show there is hope Isaac Paredes could return for the Seattle series next week,” reported Kawahara. “Brown said it ‘may be a long shot' and ‘there's nothing etched in stone' but ‘we’d be excited to get him back at that point.'”
Paredes has been nursing a hamstring injury since shortly after the All-Star break. The former Chicago Cub took live batting practice on Saturday and has been ramping up to a return to Houston's lineup. Brown was active at the trade deadline, including bringing back former shortstop Carlos Correa to man third base in Paredes' absence. With the third baseman inching closer to a return, where will Correa and other infield pieces fit moving forward?
Astros look to finish off sweep of Braves Sunday afternoon
With the return of Paredes likely occurring before the end of the regular season, the Astros will have a good problem when it comes to depth. Second baseman Jose Altuve is nursing a right foot injury, missing Sunday's series finale against the Braves. However, the rest of Houston's infielders are healthy. Correa is currently manning third, with his replacement, Jeremy Pena, at shortstop. Veterans Mauricio Dubon (who started for Altuve Sunday) and Ramon Urias are solid role players as well.
If the Astros do lose on Sunday to Atlanta, they'll need the Mariners to lose to the Los Angeles Angels as well. If both teams lose, the West will remain knotted at the top. However, Seattle has won eight in a row to race towards the mountaintop. Can Paredes accomplish the “long shot” and return to the lineup against the Mariners? If so, then capturing another division title should be a bit smoother.
