Astros put All-Star SS Jeremy Peña and RHP Tatsuya Imai on IL as injury woes continue

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SEATTLE (AP) — As a 1-8 road trip for the Houston Astros nears its conclusion, manager Joe Espada thrice said he was “doing well” despite having every reason not to be feeling so optimistic.

The Astros placed All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain and rookie right-hander Tatsuya Imai on the 15-day IL with right arm fatigue Monday. The pair of moves were the latest blows to last-place Houston’s roster, which has endured an abundance of injuries early in the season.

“We’ll get through this,” Espada said. “But, I’m doing well. I just don’t like when our players are injured. They work really hard in the offseason to come back in shape, and expectations are for us to go out there and perform and get back to the postseason, and this makes it tough to have our guys getting banged up. But, we’ll fight through this.”

Espada said he hopes it’s not a long IL stint for Peña, and that Imai will undergo more testing after returning to Houston.

In corresponding moves, the Astros recalled right-hander J.P. France, left-hander Colton Gordon and infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land. Right-hander Jayden Murray was optioned to Sugar Land after pitching two innings and allowing two earned runs in Sunday’s game.

Sunday’s starter, Cody Bolton, left Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners in the second inning because of mid-back tightness. Hunter Brown, who Bolton replaced in the rotation, was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain on April 5.

Right-hander Cristian Javier was put on the IL on Friday because of a right shoulder strain.

Despite the losses of several players who were expected to be key contributors for Houston, Espada is doing his best to stay optimistic.

“We got the healthy bodies. They’ll be here,” Espada said. “We’re going through a tough little stretch here. Trying to keep the boys locked in, and they’re locked in. Through seasons, you go through some good stretches and bad stretches, and you got to put those behind you. We’ll get through this.”

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