The Houston Astros improved to 50-70 on Tuesday night following their 10-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Last year they won only 51 games the entire season. They have made a lot of progress throughout this season and have been doing so without some key players.
Dexter Fowler has been dealing with a right intercostal strain for quite some time now. He was really helpful to the Astros' offense by getting on base early in the game and providing runs. The Astros revealed some good news Tuesday afternoon, mentioning Fowler will travel back to Houston and will be activated for Wednesday's game against the Twins. Following a brief rehab stint in Triple-A Oklahoma City, Fowler has looked fine and now is ready to re-join the Astros big league club. The Astros will send down Domingo Santana to make room for him. Fowler will be in the lineup tomorrow.
George Springer is another key player on the DL. He has been dealing with right quad strain that has really been nagging him for a while. Springer was sent to Low-A Quad Cities on a rehab assignment, and looked very good. He then returned to Houston to undergo more examinations and it turned out he was not quite ready to come back. He reportedly re-aggravated his quad injury. The Astros announced Tuesday afternoon that a doctor told Springer to rest for two more weeks. Although his presence is missed in the lineup, it is very important for Houston's future All-Star to be fully healthy before he returns. The Astros will have to survive two more weeks without him in their lineup.
Alex Presley is also on the DL and is close to returning. Dealing with a strained right oblique, Presley is now starting to feel better. On Tuesday night, Presley went on a rehab assignment with Short-Season Tri-City. Although Presley went 0-for-3, it's good to see him back in action. Despite the Astros being stacked with outfielders, it wouldn't hurt for Presley to work his way back eventually.