Hader's Rehab Start: Astros Bullpen Boost

0:00It's May 2nd. Welcome in. This is MLB News Today, where baseball meets AI, Astral's fans, big news on the injury front. As closer, Josh Hader gears up for his first minor league rehab start Tuesday, with Triple A Sugar Land. He'll share the mound that night at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas, with Starter Tatsuya Yamai in his second rehab outing and reliever Nate. Pearson and his debut down there too. Hader has been sideline all season, with left biceps, tendonitis, and he can't come off the 60-day injured list until May 24th. The team is optimistic. Yamai could rejoin the big league rotation right after his start, while Pearson builds back from off-season elbow surgery. The Astros have felt the pinch without Hader, especially after Brian Abrayu faltered in high-leveraged spots last time out. Manager Joe Espada noted Yamai's usually a strike-thrower, but hit some bumps early, struggling with lefties and adapting to life stateside after. Signing that three-year, $54 million deal from Japan.

1:03Yamai shown in spring training, but posted a 7.27 ERA over three starts, including arm fatigue that shut him down. Hader, a six-time all-star who saved 28 games last year, also missed the end of that season with a shoulder issue. With these rehab steps lining up, the Astros bullpen and rotation could get a serious boost soon, keeping their playoff push alive.