With the Houston Astros preparing for Opening Day, the team is putting the last touches on the roster before next week, with the team looking to make some major noise. However, Astros manager Joe Espada would announce a major setback for the team's bullpen with the latest injury to relief pitcher Bennett Sousa.
The left-handed pitcher would suffer an oblique strain in last Thursday's exhibition game against the Washington Nationals, landing him on the injured list (IL) to start the season. Espada would say that Sousa will “be down for a while.”
“We’re going to not have him throw until that pain goes away,” Espada said, according to MLB.com.
Sousa was set to be a key pitcher in Houston's bullpen coming into the 2026 season, as last season, appearing in 44 games, recording a 2.84 ERA, with even left-handed batters recording a .145 batting average against him. Now with the injury to Sousa, the team will have to make some vital decisions on which pitchers to use in the bullpen.
How Bennett Sousa's injury impacts the Astros' bullpen
Some minor-league names or others with major league experience are the route that Espada and the Astros will have to take when the 2026 season gets underway. Two pitchers, such as Kai-Wei Teng and AJ Blubaugh, have minor-league options ready to use, with Espada speaking on their progress and how the bullpen will be shaped.
“When they come in just for one inning or one-plus inning, the stuff plays up,” Espada said, via The Athletic. “As we’re shaping our bullpen, we’ve got to start making those tough decisions on how our bullpen will shake out. Those are two guys we feel really good about coming in and getting big outs for us in leverage situations, but also can give us two-plus innings.”
At any rate, it remains to be seen how Houston's bullpen will be impacted by Sousa's absence with the team's 2026 Opening Day taking place on Thursday, March 26, against the Los Angeles Angels. The Astros are looking to improve after finishing with an 87-75 record, second in the AL West, and being eliminated from the playoffs.
