Astros' Joe Espada provides unclear injury update on Jake Meyers

Astros' Joe Espada provides unclear injury update on Jake Meyers originally appeared on The Sporting News

With a small 1.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners, the Houston Astros could use all the help they can get. Fortunately, there are some injured players making their way back to the active roster.

Yordan Alvarez is closing in on a return, but there's another player who is still some time from making his return who would be a nice addition to the team.

That player is outfielder Jake Meyers. Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle answered a question in a recent mailbag about the Meyers injury timeline. He shared a comment from Joe Espada which were positive, but unclear when it came to Meyer's timeline.

Meyers Injury Recovery Timeline

The Astros have seen a lot of their stars get injured at points this season, and Meyers was one of the more brutal ones. He had been out for a little while with a calf injury before trying to get back onto the field, before aggravating it on his way to the outfield before a game.

Some time removed from such an injury, and there's still no clear timeline for Meyers, though Espada did express a positive sentiment on his overall recovery.

"We're trying to get him to work on his first step reactions, mobility," Espada said. "Once he clears that, we'll get him going on a rehab assignment. But he's doing really well."

While Espada's final line is a positive update on Meyers, the rest doesn't clarify how his recovery is going and how close he is to making said rehab assignment.

Houston will likely be cautious with his injury, as they already tried forcing him to return a little too early. The Astros could use his defense in center field, but they likely won't rush him back.

MORE: Astros get unfortunate update on 28-year-old injured starter amid rehab

The 29-year-old was impressive through his first 89 games of the year. He had a .308 batting average with a .774 OPS. He was one of the best offensive pieces for the Astros and was also a great defender.

While the Astros have managed to stay afloat without him, as they lead the AL West still, his absence for the last month and a half has been felt.

Taylor Trammell, Chas McCormick, and Jacob Melton have started in center field while he's been out. They each have had their moments, but they don't compare to the talent that Meyers displayed this season before hitting the injured list.

Once he's back, he'll be a huge boost to the defense in the outfield and the offense as a whole. But this update on his recovery is an uncertain one. He could make his return later this season, but the lack of a firm update on his progress is something to monitor as the season comes to a close.

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