Jose Abreu Injury Report: Latest health status and expected recovery period of Astros star

Houston Astros first baseman José Abreu was missing in action for a second straight game as the reigning World Series Champions took on the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.

Abreu complained of lower back discomfort Wednesday, resulting in his omission from the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

Following the Astros' return to Houston on Friday, Abreu underwent an MRI. Manager Dusty Baker reckoned the problem wasn't too serious, and the player was being evaluated by a team doctor, ruling him out for the series opener against the Angels.

However, Baker acknowledged that the first baseman has been troubled with the back issue for a while now. It is likely that he will not be placed on the IL despite the skipper hinting at that possibility.

“I could tell that something was wrong,” Dusty Baker said. “He wasn’t using his legs, which is connected to the lower back, where the pain is. I could just sort of tell the way he was swinging, the way he was moving. Hopefully, they can get that subsided and he can get back to being Abreu.”

Jon Singleton's emergence amid José Abreu's prolonged slump

The Cuban turned a lot of heads when he signed a whopping $58.5 million contract with the Astros in December 2022. However, his association with the reigning World Series champions hasn't panned out as well as he would've hoped for.

His struggles at first base have been well documented this season, as the 36-year-old is amid his worst season in MLB. Fans have been frustrated by the veteran player's outings and Jon Singleton's dazzling game on Friday will be a cause of concern for the Cuban.

Singleton grabbed his opportunity at first base with both hands as he smashed two home runs, his first in 2,935 days.

“Hopefully I can just be a piece of the puzzle,” Jon Singleton said on Friday. “It felt great. It was a long time coming.”

The Astros won't mind the competition among players as they are eyeing the top spot in the American League West, currently trailing the Texas Rangers by 2.5 games. They will be up against the Angels for the second game of the series Saturday.