Astros Announce Josh Hader Move Ahead of Pirates Series
Houston Astros' closer Josh Hader will be activated off of the 60-day injured list today prior to the start of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hader has not pitched in MLB since August 8th, 2025.
Hader went down with a left shoulder strain that ended his 2025 season. He was expected to be healthy to start his 2026 campaign, but was diagnosed with left biceps tendinitis during spring training workouts.
The three-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year award winner signed a five-year, $95 million contract with the Astros prior to the 2024 MLB season.
The 32-year-old left-handed pitcher has had a dominant career in the back end of the bullpen for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and now the Astros. Before the injury that ended his season in 2025, Hader pitched to a 2.05 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 28 saves in 52 2/3 innings.
Astros closer Josh Hader will be activated off the injured list today, manager Joe Espada told @SportsMT. What it means going forward, what his usage may look like and how the Astros may manage Hader upon his return - https://t.co/WlWNifhpkq
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 2, 2026
The six-time All-Star pitched in nine rehab outings between Double-A and Triple-A before being activated on Tuesday. In those outings he posted a 4.15 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.
Hader will look to come in and stabilize what has been an atrocious start for the Houston bullpen. Through 71 games, their bullpen has an ERA of 5.16, only the Los Angeles Angels are worse. Plenty of the fault here can be placed on Bryan Abreu, who started the year as the team's closer before a disastrous start. In 18 1/3 innings, Abreu has posted a 6.87 ERA.
Even with a better month of May for the bullpen, which saw them post a 3.27 ERA, Hader will certainly slot back into the role of the closer.
Hader's three pitch arsenal is led by his devastating sinker paired with his slider, he occasionally mixes in a changeup. In his short 2025 season, he ranked in the 99th percentile in Chase, Whiff and Strikeout percentage among all qualified relievers.
The Astros currently sit fourth in the American League West Division after a 27-34 start to the season. This is a much different Astros team than we have been accustomed to for the past decade. However, the team had a winning month of May, going 15-14. With most of the American League West division starting slow, the Astros still have time to claw their way to a potential postseason push.
Josh Hader makes his MLB return as the Astros face the Pirates Tuesday Night at 8:10 P.M.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 2:30 PM.