HOUSTON — A Houston Astros bullpen that is starting to stabilize received its biggest boost of the season when six-time All-Star closer Josh Hader returned to his rightful place at the back end. Manager Joe Espada told the team’s flagship radio station that Hader will be activated off the injured list before Tuesday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.Hader has not pitched this season after suffering a biceps injury during an offseason bullpen session. He missed the final 46 games of last season, too, after straining the capsule in his left shoulder. During spring training, Hader said the two injuries were unrelated.Hader made nine minor-league rehab outings before being activated. All were one-inning stints — which is perhaps a precursor for how Houston plans to deploy the 32-year-old southpaw after the first significant injury of his major-league career.Since signing a five-year, $95 million free-agent deal with Houston before the 2024 season, Hader had softened his hardline stance of only throwing one inning. Before injuring his shoulder last August, Hader threw multiple innings in seven of his first 48 outings and 14 times in his first 119 regular-season appearances as an Astro.Two and a half years and more than $40 million remain on Hader’s contract, which must enter into the thinking of team officials who will be more careful of his usage. That this is the first significant injury of Hader’s career can’t be overstated, either.Aside from a bout with COVID-19 in 2021, Hader had never been on the injured list before landing there last August. Asked at the time if throwing multiple innings could’ve contributed to it, Hader replied, in part: “I’d like to say it plays a role.”For a Houston team that can ill afford any more injuries, prudence is paramount. Four of the five starters in its Opening Day rotation have already spent time on the injured list this season. Three of them, Lance McCullers Jr, Cristian Javier and Cy Young Award finalist Hunter Brown, remain there.Exercising caution with Hader, then, seems the most logical course of action. It will accentuate the continued importance of Bryan King, Enyel De Los Santos and Steven Okert — the three high-leverage relievers who teamed to finish games in Hader’s absence — while furthering questions around Bryan Abreu’s role in all of this.Abreu’s dramatic decline destroyed Houston’s preseason plans for how to proceed without Hader. He is not solely responsible for the Astros’ 6.33 bullpen ERA across their first 32 games — truncated starts, overexposure and injuries played a part, too — but Abreu’s lack of reliability staggered the team.Abreu, who owns a 6.87 ERA across his first 21 appearances, lost all command, confidence and much of his fastball velocity across an awful start that made him unusable in high-leverage situations. Without Abreu, King functioned as the team’s de facto closer, though Espada became far more aggressive and matchup-based late in games throughout May, a month in which Astros relievers posted a 3.27 ERA.That likely won’t change. Now, though, it won’t be necessary in the ninth.Jun 2, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms