A key piece of the Houston Astros bullpen is on the shelf, as Luke Gregerson suffered an injury to his left oblique.
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Gregerson Placed on DL
Tuesday, August 2
Per the Astros‘ official Twitter account, Gregerson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique.
It’s been apparent something was wrong with Gregerson in recent days, as he hasn’t appeared in a game since July 27, and the Astros played 14 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.
Gregerson has been Houston’s primary closer this season, racking up 14 saves in 44 games. The 32-year-old has a 3.09 ERA with 51 strikeouts, 0.893 WHIP and 26 hits allowed in 43.2 innings.
Gregerson is an atypical closer because he doesn’t have overpowering stuff with a fastball that averages 89.4 mph this season, per FanGraphs, but his excellent command and slider allow him to miss bats at a good rate.
Will Harris has also been used as the Astros closer this season. He has a 2.08 ERA and 11 saves in 43.1 innings despite blowing two consecutive saves. Ken Giles also has experience in the role from his days with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Astros are still chasing the Texas Rangers in the American League West and three teams for one of the wild-card spots, so losing a key piece of the relief corps like Gregerson right now is a huge blow for a Houston bullpen that was already short on depth.
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