Arguably the best rivalry of the 2023 MLB season concludes in epic fashion Monday night, when the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers square off for Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. Such an occasion usually means all hands on deck, but a potential decision might significantly hamper manager Dusty Baker.

Astros reliever Bryan Abreu was suspended two games for hitting Rangers All-Star Adolis Garcia with a pitch this past Friday, an action that still has the baseball world buzzing. He appealed and was thus able to be employed in Houston's Game 6 loss, but the MLB will make a final ruling on Monday ahead of Game 7. Fans are hoping that the gravity of the situation is strongly taken into consideration.

Baker touched on the impact of Abreu's potential absence and how his uncertain status has already influenced his decision-making process. “That could be a huge blow,” he said of Abreu's possible suspension, per ESPN's Buster Olney. “I thought about using him two innings {Game 6}, had the decision been made. But you'd hate to have the fine and the suspension go past tomorrow, and then I wouldn't have had Abreu tomorrow, had he gone two innings.”

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The 26-year-old right-hander allowed one run on two hits in an inning of work on Sunday, so there is no telling if he would have made a significant difference in the outcome had his skipper used him in the ninth as well. Though, is it also hard to imagine Abreu being less effective than Rafael Montero and Ryne Stanek, who were charged with four earned runs combined in the final frame ( A Jose Altuve error put Montero in a tough spot).

Abreu posted his second consecutive dominant campaign, recording a 1.75 ERA in 72 appearances during the regular season. He has been largely competent in the 2023 MLB playoffs as well, and could surely be needed in this decisive showdown at home versus Texas.

With the anticipation building for first pitch (approximately 8:03 p.m. ET), Astros fans, and obviously Dusty Baker, desperately want some clarity. “So you wish you had a decision,” he said. “You wish you had some final decision about his status. So we took a shot there. Hopefully, some of this will be postponed and we'll have him tomorrow, as well.”