AL West notes: Abreu, Urquidy, Trout, Adams

THE Astros are ready to welcome the first baseman José Abreu back in the fold in the coming days, as Abreu himself told reporters (including The Athletic’s Chandler Rome) earlier today that he would be flying to Seattle tomorrow ahead of the club to meet them for the club’s three-game set against the Mariners, which is scheduled to begin on Monday. Abreu was previously expected to join Houston in Oakland for a three-game set against the A’s, but the club instead decided to give the veteran a few more games in the minors.

Abreu, 37, had a poor season at the plate last year in his first season with the Astros, but started to heat up a bit later in the season, which gave him optimism for his second year with the club. Unfortunately, the hot spell did not continue and the veteran posted a disastrous .099/.156/.113 slash line in 22 games before agreeing to be optioned to the minors in an effort to overcome the deep struggles that tormented him. . Since then, Abreu has appeared in six minor league games and slashed a respectable .280/.357/.480 in 28 trips to the plate.

If Abreu can show anything close to the offensive performance he delivered during his time with the White Sox, for whom he never posted a wRC+ lower than 14% above league average, that would give a Huge boost to an Astros club that has struggled early and currently sits 3.5 games out of first place in the AL West with a 23-29 record that puts them behind the Mariners and Rangers. Jon Singleton has performed admirably at first base in Abreu’s absence with a 110 wRC+ in 38 games this year, but that includes a paltry .206/.290/.324 slash line against left-handed pitchers this year. Abreu, on the other hand, produced well against lefties even last season, when he hit a healthy .235/.296/.444 against them in 179 trips to the plate.

More from around the AL West…

• Stick to Astrosright-handed Jose Urquidy suffered a tough setback today after leaving early rehab due to what manager Joe Espada called “right forearm discomfort,” as relayed by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Urquidy is being evaluated to determine the severity of the issue, but even a brief setback would be an unfortunate turn of events for Houston. Urquidy was expected to return to the club at some point over the next week and, in doing so, would have given the Astros some much-needed pitching depth amid deep struggles in the rotation. The club currently uses a six-man rotation Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Christian Javier, Brown Hunter, Spencer ArrighettiAnd Ronel Blancobut only Blanco and Verlander have been above average in terms of ERA+ and no one in that group has posted an FIP below 4.00 this season.
• angels Super star Mike Trout spoke with reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) ahead of today’s game against the Guardians earlier today and offered an optimistic update regarding his rehabilitation from meniscus surgery more early this month. Although Trout did not provide a timetable for his return, he noted that he “feels great” as he regains strength in his leg while returning to activity in the weight room, and added that he’s ‘pretty close’ to starting running again. The star center fielder was off to another strong start this year before his injury, slashing .220/.325/.541 despite an incredibly low BABIP of .194, thanks in part to 10 homers in 29 games. Reports at the time of his surgery suggested that a recovery period of four to six weeks was the best-case scenario for Trout’s return, although the Angels have since indicated that they would take Trout’s rehabilitation slowly in order to minimize injury. rehabilitation risks. -injury.
• THE Athletics I was a little scared about the right-hander Austin Adams earlier today in their game against Houston when he was removed from the game due to left neck strain. Fortunately, the director Mark Kotsay told reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) after tonight’s game that Adams was day-to-day and likely could have fixed the problem if necessary, although the club opted not to take a chance. One of many journeymen making the most of their time in Oakland, Adams has been excellent for the A’s this season as he has pitched to a 2.65 ERA with a 3.01 FIP in 23 appearances with a strikeout rate batting rate of 32.9%. Adams acted as primary setup man for playing closer Mason Miller this season, and the 33-year-old is controlled through the end of next season, which could make him a particularly attractive target at this summer’s trade deadline if he can stay healthy and effective .