Houston Astros superstar’s injury could be reason they’re not becoming buyers

The Houston Astros are in a great position heading into the All-Star break.

After appearing on the verge of missing the playoffs following a brutal first two months of the season that saw them consistently fall several games below .500, they managed to climb back to a 50-46 record, one point behind the AL West leader.

This is the type of team that everyone expected at the start of the year.

Even without Justin Verlander, Kyle Tucker and several starting pitchers on the team after suffering injuries, the Astros are so deep and loaded with star talent that they can overcome these issues and position themselves to make the playoffs again.

When they get their ace and star right fielder back, they’ll look a lot more like the group that made an American League record seven straight ALCS appearances.

With Houston back in the mix, they are expected to become buyers before the July 30 trade deadline with clear needs present on this roster. But, Chandler Rome of The Athletic thinks that Tucker not being in the mix will actually be the reason they don’t pursue some upgrades.

“What might give him pause: Tucker still has the team’s highest slugging percentage, on-base percentage and OPS. Adding him back into an already productive offense might be just what Houston needs,” he wrote.

That’s certainly one way of looking at it.

The Astros lead the American League in hits (866), have scored the fourth-most runs (457), have the highest batting average (.262) and are in the top five in on-base percentage (.322) and power (.418). When Tucker returns, those numbers will only increase, especially since Alex Bregman appears to have put his early-season struggles behind him.

If that’s the case, it wouldn’t make much sense for Houston to give up future assets, of which they have very few, to add another hitter just because they can.

They’ll continue to target starting pitchers, and without feeling the need to make moves for someone in the lineup, that should allow general manager Dana Brown to allocate resources to land someone who can be an impact player in the rotation.

However, there’s also a chance the Astros are one of the quietest teams in the league.

They were already in contention before they even stepped on the mound this year, and even though they had a rough start to the season, it doesn’t change that fact. Even amidst all the injuries Houston has suffered, this group has shown the ability to bounce back and make a run for the playoffs.

Additions would certainly help this team win, but it’s not something they desperately need.