Pretty sure these rest-happy Astros who sit people as prophylaxis after any kind of little ding-up have realized no decreased rate of injuries relative to other teams. Just play them while they're healthy, enjoy em while you got em and take the damn kiddie gloves off already. Injuries are all but unavoidable, and only luck dictates who (*cough* Dodgers) remains intact vs who gets riddled with misfortune (the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant team) all throughout the roster.
But if injuries are going to happen regardless... wouldn't you rather have them only play in games that truly matter (playoffs) vs meaningless regular season games? Playing him before then would simply serve to get his timing back and work out any other kinks.
I've gone over this before on other threads. I sure as hell believe that regular season games matter. I want to say I witnessedthe best Astros team ever this year, and to that our minimum bar is 102 wins, the 1998 record. All sports are similar in a sense. If you play not to get injured instead of going all out, you're going to a.) suck; and b.) have the same probability of getting injured either way. Stay aggressive.
Not sure the historical difference between 102 and 105, but seems there's a sizable margin. 102 happens almost every year, 105 does not. 105 minimum please
Sure... but that still doesn't answer the question of if A.) injuries are going to happen at the same possible time no matter what the context and B.) If the rest of the regular season has no bearing on either making the playoffs or playoff seeding/opponents... wouldn't it make more sense to ensure everybody is as healthy as possible for the playoffs? The 1998 team was great... but they weren't the best team in baseball, let alone the NL that year (Braves had a better NL record, Yankees were one of the best teams of all-time). They're essentially a foot-note for Astros fans because it was the best regular season team here... but give me the end results of 2004 and 2005, and the euphoria those playoff runs induced, any day.
So, were at the halfway point of a six week period. Could see him in 3 weeks? Am I being overly optimistic?
He's planning on swinging a bat this week... 1-2 weeks of swinging/strength training, and another week taking live batting practice and a possible rehab start, and he's right on track. But there's absolutely no rush right now.... this honestly feels like extended spring training.
