The 2025 MLB season is about to reach the All-Star break, and it's safe to say the Houston Astros belong in the World Series conversation. Leading the AL West with a 55-38 record as of Thursday morning, the Astros are only 3.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for the No. 1 spot in all of Major League Baseball, leaving time to tell if Houston has what tit takes to close the gap soon.
Several players have contributed to the Astros' success so far, including centerfielder Jake Meyers. The 29-year-old veteran has been one of Houston's most reliable batters throughout the campaign; however, his strong performance has been recently marred by a calf injury that's thrown a wrench into his plans.
Meyers suffered the injury against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, which then forced him to miss Monday and Tuesday's matchups against the Cleveland Guardians. The Omaha, NE native was slated to return against the Guardians on Tuesday, resulting in his situation worsening in an instant.
Astros CF Jake Meyers Sparks Concern After Re-Aggravating Calf Injury on Wednesday
As he ran onto the field to start Wednesday's contest, Meyers "required attention from Astros assistant athletic trainer Eric Velazquez and manager Joe Espada" as he immediately fell to the field, per The Athletic's Chandler Rome. Houston later described the injury as "right calf tightness," and that more testing would happen on Thursday.
Although Meyers wanted to wait for more results to talk about his injury, that didn't stop the media from asking him if the situation felt worse than it did on Sunday. Rather than giving an outright response, the oft-injured CF raised concerns with a question asked towards an Astros spokesperson, per Rome.
"Do I have to answer that?" Meyers asked without answering the question directed to him. Espada then revealed that he "would not have put him in there today" if he was concerned about the young Houston stud's health.
It's safe to say that Meyers' response isn't what Astros fans wanted to hear. If his situation were a minor one, chances are he would've revealed so immediately. The fact that he refused to compare Wednesday's situation to what happens on Sunday hints that Meyers could miss some time.
After missing most of 2022 with a torn labrum, Astros fans hoped that Meyers put his injury woes behind him. He played 112 games in 2023, followed by 148 in 2024, and has appeared in 89 of Houston's first 93 games this season. The clean bill of health was paying off, too, as Meyers was slashing .308/.369/.405 with three home runs, 21 RBIs, 27 walks, and 14 stolen bases before leaving Wednesday's game.
The silver lining of this situation is that the MLB All-Star break is next week, giving Meyers time to heal before the Astros return to action on July 18.
Hopefully, Meyers avoids the worst-case scenario once the latest results come in. He's been one of the Astros' most important players this season, and losing him for any amount of time could do some damage to the club's World Series outlook.