Josh Hader landed on the injured list with a left shoulder strain, forcing Houston to lean on a bullpen committee in a tight win over Boston. In his absence, Espada deployed Enyel De Los Santos and Bennett Sousa in the ninth, with Sousa earning his fifth career save (and fourth this season) after facing one batter. Hader’s August workload has been light but effective, posting a 2.05 ERA and a 4.75 K:BB across multiple multi-inning appearances, a true closer’s backbone that Houston will miss as it fights to hold the AL West lead.

The Astros are also missing a slew of pieces—Isaac Paredes, Yordan Alvarez, Jake Meyers, and pitchers Ronel Blanco, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis García, and Hayden Wesneski—juicing the bullpen workload and widening the gap in a tight division race. Houston sits one game ahead of Seattle as July faded, with the Mariners 9-1 in a recent stretch while Houston has gone 5-5. With Hader out, Espada is likely to keep a committee approach with Abreu, King, and others stepping up in high-leverage spots, testing fantasy rosters that rely on late-inning wins and save opportunities.