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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Set to begin rehab assignment
Rotowire
Loperfido (quad) will begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Double-A Corpus Christi, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Loperfido started light baseball activity May 5 and has been sidelined since April 17 with a right quadriceps strain. Fellow big leaguers Hunter Brown (shoulder), Josh Hader (biceps) and Taylor Trammell (groin) will also be playing in Sunday's game for the Hooks. Loperfido could return sometime next week.
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Astros' Jose Altuve: Continuing rehab in Florida
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Altuve (oblique) will head to West Palm Beach on Sunday to continue his rehab, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Altuve told McTaggart he is feeling good, and while an oblique strain typically carries a multi-week timetable, it sounds like Altuve is trending in the right direction. Braden Shewmake and Brice Matthews have been splitting starts at the keystone in Altuve's absence.
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Astros' Jake Meyers: Taking seat Saturday
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Meyers isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cubs.
After going 2-for-11 at the plate in his first three games back from the injured list, Meyers will get a chance to rest Saturday while Brice Matthews starts in center field.
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Astros' Zach Dezenzo: Resting up Saturday
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Dezenzo isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus the Cubs.
Dezenzo will sit on the bench for a second consecutive game after going 5-for-19 with a walk and seven strikeouts over his last six contests. While he rests, Zach Cole, Brice Matthews and Cam Smith will start across the outfield for Houston.
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Astros' Christian Vazquez: Sitting Saturday
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Vazquez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cubs.
Vazquez will get a day off Saturday after going 2-for-4 with a homer and an additional RBI during Friday's win. Cesar Salazar will replace him behind the dish and bat ninth.
King worked 1.1 scoreless innings Friday to record his fifth save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Cubs. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The only baserunner to get aboard against King came on a Jeremy Pena throwing error with two outs in the eighth inning, but the southpaw got Nico Hoerner to ground out to end the threat. King has been splitting closing duties with Bryan Abreu of late, but Josh Hader (bicep) is on track to come off the IL before the end of the month to reclaim that job. King should remain one of the Astros' top setup men once that happens, and through 10.2 innings in May he's posted a 1.69 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, albeit with a 4:4 K:BB.
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Astros' Spencer Arrighetti: Blanks Cubs for sixth win
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Arrighetti (6-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing two hits and four walks over five scoreless innings in a 4-2 victory over the Cubs. He struck out five.
The right-hander threw only 53 of 89 pitches for strikes and also hit two batters with pitches, but Chicago couldn't generate any offense against Arrighetti despite having runners in scoring position in four of his five frames. The 26-year-old has bailed out an injury-ravaged Astros rotation since making his season debut in mid-April, and he has yet to give up more than two earned runs in a start. Arrighetti will take a 1.32 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 40:25 K:BB through 41 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week against the Rangers.
Brown (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Brown threw live batting practice earlier this week and is ready for game action as he recovers from a shoulder strain. The right-hander isn't eligible to return from the 60-day injured list until the end of May, but a June return might be more plausible given the length of his layoff. Brown last pitched March 31 and posted a 0.84 ERA and 17:6 K:BB across 10.2 inning in his first two starts of the season before being shut down.
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Astros' Brice Matthews: Heading to bench Friday
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Matthews is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.
Matthews is slashing just .197/.242/.328 with a 27.3 percent strikeout rate in May, and though the Astros lost Jose Altuve (oblique) to the injured list Monday, the recent activation of Jake Meyers has resulted in the struggling Matthews losing out on some playing time in center field. The 24-year-old will hit the bench for the second time in three games while the Astros go with Braden Shewmake at second base. In addition to the keystone and center, Matthews remains a candidate to see playing time in left field, though Houston also has Zach Cole and Zach Dezenzo as options there.
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Astros' Zach Dezenzo: Moving to bench Friday
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Dezenzo is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.
The Astros will go with Zach Cole and Cam Smith as their corner outfielders for the series opener, ending Dezenzo's streak of six consecutive starts in left field during which the 26-year-old went 5-for-19 with a double, a walk and run. Though the Astros recently lost Jose Alutve (oblique) to the injured list, the returns of Jake Meyers and Jeremy Pena from the IL has left five players competing for three spots in the Houston lineup. Dezenzo, Cole, Smith and Brice Matthews are all in the mix for starts in the corner outfield, although Matthews is also battling Braden Shewmake for starts at second base.
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Astros' Alimber Santa: Joins big-league roster
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The Astros selected Santa's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday.
To make room for the 23-year-old on the big-league roster, Jayden Murray was optioned to Triple-A. Santa will be looking to make his MLB debut during the Astros' weekend series at Wrigley Field. In 18 games with Sugar Land this season, he logged a 2.37 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 24:7 K:BB across 19 innings.
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Astros' Jayden Murray: Back to Triple-A
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The Astros optioned Murray to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
The 29-year-old will be replaced by Alimber Santa on Houston's 26-man active roster. Murray struggled in his most recent appearance Monday against Minnesota, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks. He has given up at least two earned runs in four of his seven appearances with Houston this season.
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Astros' Cody Bolton: Outrighted to Triple-A
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The Astros outrighted Bolton to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday.
Bolton is no longer on the 40-man roster, but he will remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 27-year-old has posted a 5.40 ERA and 22:14 K:BB over three starts and five relief appearances for Houston this season.
Astros' Alimber Santa: Slated for major-league call-up
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The Astros are expected to call up Santa from Triple-A Sugar Land, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
It appears Santa will be called up to the majors ahead of the Astros' weekend series against the Cubs in Chicago. The move will bolster an Astros bullpen operating without Bennett Sousa (elbow) and Josh Hader (biceps). Santa has appeared in 18 games in Triple-A this season and has a 1.42 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, two saves and a 24:7 K:BB across 19 innings. His first appearance out of the Astros' bullpen will be his major-league debut.
Astros' Mike Burrows: Hit hard in Wednesday's loss
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Burrows (2-6) took the loss Wednesday as the Astros fell 4-1 to the Twins, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out two.
The right-hander didn't get much support from the Houston offense, but Burrows also got hit hard as half the hits off him went for extra bases, including homers by Victor Caratini and Ryan Kreidler. It's the second straight start in which he's served up multiple long balls and the fifth time in 10 outings on the season. Burrows will carry a 5.75 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 48:20 K:BB through 56.1 innings into his next start, which lines up to come up next week during a road series against the Rangers.
