HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros All-Star closer Josh Hader was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a strained left shoulder.
The move, retroactive to Monday, comes after the left-hander reported shoulder discomfort before Monday's game against the Boston Red Sox.
“It's (a) punch in the gut,” manager Joe Espada said. “But ... he's seeing doctors right now. We're getting more tests done and hopefully this is not going to be a long-term thing.”
Espada added that they don't yet know the severity of the injury and should know more after additional testing.
Espada said he would not name a closer to fill in while Hader is out, but would use his relievers based on matchups.
“I feel good about all those guys,” Espada said.
Hader, who is in his second season in Houston, is 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA and is tied for third in the majors with 28 saves in 48 appearances this season.
To take his spot on the roster, the AL West-leading Astros reinstated right-hander Shawn Dubin from the 15-day injured list. They also designated right-hander Hector Neris for assignment and recalled left-hander Colton Gordon from Triple-A Sugar Land.
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Houston Astros closing pitcher Josh Hader pitches in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
At least two people were killed in a drone attack in Russia’s southwestern Saratov region and parts of Ukraine went without power following targeted assaults on energy infrastructure, local authorities said Saturday, as U.S.-led peace talks on ending the war press on.
The drone attack damaged a residential building and several windows were also blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, said Saratov regional Gov. Roman Busargin.
Russia’s defense ministry said it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight.
In Ukraine, Russia launched overnight drone and missile strikes on five Ukrainian regions, targeting energy and port infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had sent over 450 drones and 30 missiles into Ukraine overnight.
"Thousands of families are now left without electricity after strikes last night in Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions," he wrote on Telegram.
An attack on the Black Sea city of Odesa caused grain silos to catch fire at the port, Ukrainian deputy prime minister and reconstruction minister Oleksiy Kuleba said.
Two people were wounded in attacks on the wider Odesa region, according to regional head Oleh Kiper.
Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing” the cold.
The latest round of attacks came after Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Friday that Russian police and National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine. This underscores Moscow’s ambition to maintain its presence in Donbas post-war. Ukraine is likely to reject such a stance as U.S.-led negotiations drag on.
Moscow will give its blessing to a ceasefire only after Ukraine’s forces have withdrawn from the front line, Ushakov said in comments published in Russian business daily Kommersant.
Meanwhile, Germany is set to host Zelenskyy on Monday for talks as peace efforts gain momentum and European leaders seek to steer negotiations.
For months, American negotiators have tried to navigate the demands of each side as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a swift end to Russia’s war while growing increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into a major obstacle over who keeps Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russian forces.
In this grab from a video provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Friday, Dec 12, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy records a video at the road entering of Kupiansk, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
