Aledmys rejoins Astros; Straw sent to Minors
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HOUSTON -- The Astros' roster gained some versatility Tuesday with the activation of infielder Aledmys Díaz from the injured list. Diaz had been out since the Aug. 16 game in Oakland, one day before he started to feel dizzy and lightheaded on the bus on the way to the Coliseum.
The Astros optioned outfielder/infielder Myles Straw to Triple-A Round Rock and opted to keep rookie infielder Abraham Toro, a move that gives them more flexibility in the infield. Diaz can play all four infield spots, with an emphasis on the corners.
“There’s two parts to it,” Houston manager AJ Hinch said. “The first part is getting Diaz back. He’s healthy and ready to go, and so he was going to be activated today if he was ready to play. He will play [Wednesday], most likely at third base, and then maybe give Yuli [Gurriel] a day off in [Thursday’s] game and play first and really be the utility infielder and the Swiss Army knife that I’ve used him as before. That will be nice.
“Sending Straw down was tough because he’s a weapon off the bench. We saw it in his last game [Sunday], where he comes in in a close game and scores from first on a ball down the left-field line that maybe nobody else on our team can score on. He’s a dynamic weapon.”
The Astros sent Straw down following Sunday’s game, utilizing Monday’s off-day as one of the 10 days Straw has to be down before he can be called back up on Sept. 5. Diaz is hitting .267 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 45 games in his first season in Houston.
Worth noting
• Shortstop Carlos Correa, on the injured list with a stiff lower back, did some sprints and a few rotational exercises Tuesday. He hasn’t done any hitting, fielding or throwing yet, but that could happen before Thursday. That will help the Astros determine how close Correa is to regular practice, and ultimately a rehab assignment next week.
• Hard-throwing reliever Josh James could be activated as soon as rosters expand on Saturday. On the injured list since July 23 with right shoulder soreness, James threw one inning, allowing two hits and one run while striking out one, in his second rehab outing Monday for Round Rock. Hinch said James reported that he felt good, and he will throw one more outing later this week for the Express.