While not the primary reason for their collapse in September, Josh Hader's shoulder strain that ended his season prematurely created some awkwardness in the Houston Astros' bullpen. At the time of Hader's injury, there was some criticism of manager Joe Espada, who used the All-Star closer for a multi-inning appearance against the New York Yankees in early August. Two days later, Hader's season was over.
It would seem that Espada has learned a lesson from that mistake. The Athletic's (subscription required) Chandler Rome highlights that one of the takeaways from the Winter Meetings for Houston is that not only are Hader's days as a multi-inning reliever possibly over, but the same might be the case for Bryan Abreu.