SAN FRANCISCO -- For someone who had to spend 10 minutes reading over the litany of his team's injuries, Astros manager AJ Hinch was remarkably upbeat Monday.
He could afford to be. His team came into the week with a four-game lead in the American League West, and even with the news that outfielder George Springer was heading to the 10-day disabled list with a left thumb sprain, the Houston injury picture seemed to be brightening.
"Great news," Hinch said of Springer. "We knew at the end of the day [Sunday] in L.A. that he was going on the DL. It was going to be something that was going to keep him out at least 10 days. What we feared was that it was going to be something even more extensive.
"But the tests came back negative. It's simply a sprain of the first knuckle on his thumb. It's not the UCL that a lot of guys around the league have had. We avoided surgery. We avoided a major injury. They think he may even beat the timeline of 10 days. That's very, very encouraging."

Outfielder Derek Fisher was promoted from Triple-A Fresno to take Springer's spot on the roster.