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Astros to Make Exciting Move Before Mariners Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 2:34 PM ET

The Houston Astros couldn't be in a more nerve-wracking situation heading into the weekend. Not only are they tied atop the AL West with the Seattle Mariners, but they're starting a three-game home series against them on Friday that will help decide the division race.

The Astros are coming off a series sweep of the Texas Rangers, another division rival. They're now five games ahead of them with nine left in the season, but they still have to worry about the wild card as well.

Seattle currently has the tiebreaker over Houston due to intradivision record, so the latter club is in the AL's second wild card spot heading into Friday night. It's two games behind the New York Yankees for the first slot and one ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the third and final slot. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians lurk just 1.5 games behind the Red Sox.

Luckily for the Astros, they're likely getting a key player back ahead of Friday's contest, via MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

"Source: Isaac Paredes is expected to be reinstated from the IL tonight by the Astros and be available for the huge series against the Mariners," he reported. "He was hitting .259/.359/.470 with a team-high 19 HRs and 50 RBIs in 94 games before straining his hamstring July 19 in Seattle."

Houston traded for infielder Carlos Correa after Paredes' injury, who has since occupied his spot at third base. However, it can alternate the two players at third base and designated hitter to include them both in the lineup.

Paredes is still tied for third on the team in homers despite missing time, and Correa is slashing .295/.354/.404 with six homers and 19 RBI over 43 games since returning to the Astros. If Paredes regains his pre-injury mojo over the remaining regular-season games, he could be the boost it needs to secure the division title.

Source: Isaac Paredes is expected to be reinstated from the IL tonight by the Astros and be available for the huge series against the Mariners. He was hitting .259/.359/.470 with a team-high 19 HRs and 50 RBIs in 94 games before straining his hamstring July 19 in Seattle.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 19, 2025

Astros Made Up for Losing Alex Bregman

Houston suffered a setback when club legend Alex Bregman, who helped it win two World Series titles while manning the hot corner since 2017, signed with the Red Sox this past offseason. However, it traded star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs for a package including Paredes two months prior, which helped soften the blow.

On top of that, acquiring Correa back from the Minnesota Twins at the Trade Deadline added even more depth. The team moved the 30-year-old to third base after playing shortstop his whole career due to the presence of Jeremy Peña, who is its shortstop of the future and one of the brightest young stars in the league. However, the transition has been seamless, as Correa has a .972 fielding percentage since rejoining the team.

Now, the Astros are set up on the left side of their infield for the foreseeable future just months after Bregman's departure.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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