While the Houston Astros were off Thursday, three rehab assignments were in full swing with Aledmys Díaz, Josh James and Blake Taylor playing for Triple-A Sugar Land.
Díaz officially started his rehab assignment Thursday, manning shortstop and hitting second for the Space Cowboys. The righty went 0-for-3 with a walk and three groundouts.
Díaz was replaced in the lineup in the eighth inning by Marty Costes, shuffling the positional alignment. The utilityman was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 17 with left groin discomfort.
James entered in relief for the fifth inning Thursday. The righty yielded one run on three hits to one strikeout, throwing 12 of his 18 pitches for strikes against the Round Rock Express.
Starting his rehab assignment Aug. 25 with Single-A Fayetteville, James has since made six appearances between the Woodpeckers and the Space Cowboys. The 29 year old has allowed just one run across six innings, striking out 10 batters along the way.
Taylor followed for the sixth inning, throwing only five pitches in a perfect frame. Dotting all strikes, the lefty induced back-to-back one-pitch groundouts before striking out Davis Wendzel on three pitches.
Taylor restarted his rehab assignment on Sept. 1 after leaving his Aug. 19 appearance with posterior discomfort in his left elbow. The 27 year old has been on the injured list since June 4 while transfered to the 60-day on July 1.
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