Joe Espada staying positive despite Astros' injury woes

When Houston Astros manager Joe Espada met with the media prior to Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, he provided a list of injury updates.

By the time Estrada finished, it was easy to wonder if the Astros had any players on their active roster. Obviously, the Astros do because they haven’t informed Major League Baseball’s central office that they are going to have to forfeit the remainder of their games.

Astros have 13 players on IL

However, the Astros entered Monday with 13 players on the injured list, the most of any team in the league. Then center fielder Taylor Trammell left the game in the third inning after injuring his left groin while running the bases.

The Astros have felt the weight of the injuries. They have a 9-15 record and are in last place in the American League West.

The slow start follows the Astros’ streak of eight playoff appearances ending last season. All of it has led to speculation about Espada’s future, particularly since he is in the final year of his contract, along with general manager Dana Brown.

Yet Espada is holding up well despite all the negativities.

“It's a long season, you know?” Espada said. “I trust my players. We make changes to our process when needed, and I know we are prepared every day. That's just what keeps me going. My faith. It's a very long season. I know it feels like we're 10 games out, but we’re not.”

Silver lining for Astros

Indeed, the one silver lining in the Astros’ dark season cloud is that they are just 3 ½ games out of first place in a division where the Athletics (12-11) are the only team with a record over .500.

Among the players on the injured list are starting pitchers Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai and Cristian Javier. Brown finished third in the AL Cy Young voting last season. Star closer Josh Hader is also on the shelf with All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena and center fielder Jake Meyers.

“You know what? Life itself is a test every single day,” Espada said. “I get up, and the sun's out, and it’s an opportunity to make today a better day, and that's how I approach life. I’m a kid from Puerto Rico and never thought I was going to be a major league manager, but I’m here.”

Reason to feel upbeat

The Astros had reason to feel upbeat on Monday night as third baseman Isaac Paredes hit his first two home runs of the season and Christian Walker had a home run among his three hits in a 9-2 rout at Progressive Field.

“It's about staying positive,” Walker said. “That being said, I don't want any of my teammates to get hurt. I know what that headspace is like, and I just want to keep guys positive and make sure they know the team needs them when they get back.”

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.