The Houston Astros are in need of reinforcements ahead of Thursday’s MLB trade deadline. Houston currently sits in first place in the American League West despite the loss of stars like Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvárez due to injury but they needed to add some players through the trade market in order to make a postseason run.
The first step came on Wednesday night when the Astros acquired infielder Ramón Urías from the Baltimore Orioles. The deal was seen to be a depth move as Urías has served as a light-hitting third baseman this season. But it also comes with a ton of pressure after the Astros’ latest injury news put a key contributor on the shelf.
Astros All-Star Isaac Paredes Out for Season with Hamstring Injury
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Astros are “bracing themselves” for an extended absence from All-Star Isaac Paredes. Paredes suffered a torn hamstring earlier this month while running to first base during a game against the Seattle Mariners and was originally reported to be on the shelf for “at least two months” according to Ari Alexander of KPRC2. But Nightengale adds that Paredes could be out for at least six to seven months with the hope that he can be ready for the start of the 2026 season.
This is something the Astros just don’t need. Houston has grinded through the absences of Peña and Alvárez this season, but Paredes was one of the things that had gone right. Acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs last December, Paredes hit .259/.359/.470 with 19 homers and 50 RBI in 94 games this season and earned his second trip to the All-Star Game. His 2.7 wins above replacement were second on the team behind Peña’s 4.4 and left a giant hole at third base.
Urías can fill the void in some respects as he’s logged a plus-six in defensive runs saved this season. While that’s an upgrade on the minus-3 DRS Paredes was logging this year, Urías’s offensive production is a major dropoff, hitting .248/.300/.388 with eight homers and 34 RBI in 77 games with the Orioles.
This could be a reason why reports surfaced on Wednesday that the Astros were involved in talks with the Minnesota Twins to bring Carlos Correa back to Houston. But Urías comes at a cheaper price point one year removed from hitting .254/.322/.423 with 11 homers and 37 RBI in 100 games for Baltimore last season.
While Peña could rejoin the Astros as early as next week and Alvárez is expected to return next month, Urías will need to step up at the plate with Paredes lost for the season.