Loss of George Springer a big blow to streaking Astros
The Houston Astros just swept the Kansas City Royals, have won four in a row, and are competing for the best record in the American League. They’ve been one of the early feel-good stories of 2015. But if they’re going to keep the good times rolling they’ll have to do it without George Springer.
The sophomore outfielder is second on the team with a 2.5 WAR but is headed to the disabled list with a fractured wrist. He was hit by a Edinson Volquez pitch on Wednesday night and left the game. The Astros confirmed the move to the DL on Thursday.
After an impressive rookie season in which he hit 20 home runs with 51 RBIs in just 78 games, Springer has been even better in 2015. He was batting .264/.365/.457 with 13 homers and 14 stolen bases. He joins fellow outfielder Jake Marisnick, infielder Jed Lowrie, and pitcher Scott Feldman on the DL.
With injuries pilling up, Springer will be hard to replace. He’s their leadoff man and table-setter while playing sterling defense in right field. Manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com that the Astros keep rolling by simply using a next-man-up mentality.
“I don’t want to lose any of these guys,” Hinch said. “I love all the guys and the way they play, but if we need a replacement anywhere from a short time to a long time for any of these guys, the next guy has got to step up. We’ve got a system in place below us, guys are playing well and we’ve got a great culture in there of a winning style of baseball. We’re going to test that because we’re going to need a lot of good things to happen for us to continue this momentum.”
The Astros have one of the best farm systems in baseball. When Lowrie went down, they called up No. 2-ranked prospect Carlos Correa. It will be interesting to see if the Astros can stay hot as injuries pile up.
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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.
