How mounting evidence is raising questions about Astros' injury concerns
13 August
Kyle Tucker did some work on the field on Monday. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images.
Justin Verlander is set to make his second minor league rehab start this week and could rejoin the Houston Astros' rotation after that.
The 41-year-old right-hander took his first step toward returning to the Astros by pitching three innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday night. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is coming back from neck stiffness that’s sidelined him for two months.
“He bounced back well,” Houston manager Joe Espada said before Monday night's game at Tampa Bay. “He feels well. He feels good.”
Verlander hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 9. He also missed the beginning of the season with right shoulder inflammation before going 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts. He made his season debut April 19.
Kyle Tucker has a ways to go
In other injury-related news, Houston outfielder Kyle Tucker took flyballs off a fungo for the first time since fouling a ball off his right shin June 3 against St. Louis. He ran short sprints, went through agility drills and hit in an indoor batting cage.
You can watch some of Tucker's drills below. Many people in the comment section didn't feel like he was moving around very well and are concerned that he won't be back anytime soon. You can judge for yourself. Espada seemed happy with what he saw.
Here’s some bad video of Tucker pic.twitter.com/VcUuamtOaL
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 12, 2024
“I'm very pleased,” Espada said. “I think he's turning the corner. Now, we've got to improve from what we saw today. We've got to see more of that. He's tolerating the pain better. He's able to move around and he's recovering much better, which is huge.”
NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.
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