Aug 26, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Shay Whitcomb (10) hits a two-RBI double against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Astros Recall Shay Whitcomb As Possible Precursor to Player Heading to Injured List

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 11:56 AM ET

The injury bug has hit the Houston Astros hard with 13 players currently residing on the injured list.

Starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. -- who was placed on the IL because of a sprained foot -- was one of the most recent additions. He joined fellow starting pitchers Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski who have gotten hurt in-season.

On the positional player side of things, outfielder Jacob Melton suffered a sprained ankle that set in motion some changes to the lineup.

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One of the players who was sent down to the minor leagues as part of the shake up was Shay Whitcomb.

However, his stay on the farm was a short one, as it was reported by Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston that he was being recalled by the team on Tuesday night.

Some context to the situation was added by Chandler Rome of The Athletic, who shared that Whitcomb’s promotion has to come as a result of another one of his teammates suffering an injury and heading to the IL.

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Shay Whitcomb has only been in Triple-A for three days since his last demotion, so he'll have to be replacing someone going on the injured list. https://t.co/rRSsZQdjbg
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 18, 2025

Because he was sent down to Triple-A only three days ago, the only way he could make a return to the big league club is to replace someone who got hurt.

There was some speculation that Luis Guillorme, who was recently called up to the Major Leagues, could be the player who was going on the injured list after hurting his hip the night before.

But, he made an appearance in the game on Tuesday, taking one at-bat and playing second base as a late-game replacement.

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The only position players who didn’t get into the Astros’ 13-3 victory over the Athletics on Tuesday was backup catcher Victor Caratini and second baseman Brendan Rodgers.

One of them could be the latest players to fall victim to the injury bug which would allow Whitcomb to come back to Houston.

For more Astros news, head over to Astros On SI.

This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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