With both the starting rotation and batting lineup ravaged by injuries, the Astros find themselves in an uncertain position. What will happen over the remainder of the season? And the answer to that question involves projecting the answers to associated questions: which players will return to the lineup and when will they return?
In theory we should turn to rest of season (ROS) projections for help. Fangraphs has a sophisticated playoff odds model which is updated and run daily. The underlying player depth chart ROS projections also are continuously updated. Part of this process involves roster resources staff making judgements about the impact of injuries on the team’s depth chart.