MIAMI (AP) — Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes will rehab his right hamstring injury instead of undergoing surgery in hopes of returning before the season is over, general manager Dana Brown said Monday.
Paredes sustained what Brown described as a “severe” right hamstring strain in a loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 19. He's had multiple rounds of imaging done since then and received a second opinion last week from a doctor, who told him his two choices were to rehab the injury or undergo season-ending surgery.
Paredes received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his hamstring and will begin his rehab stint, which will mostly take place in Houston around the team, Brown said. He added that the immediate course of action will be a “long period” of letting the hamstring rest before beginning any sort of exercise.
“His whole opinion on this is, he wants to work hard to try to get back this season," Brown said before Houston's series opener at Miami. "Of course, he’s going to dedicate himself to getting back.”
The Astros (62-50) currently lead the AL West with around 50 games remaining in the regular season. Surgery would have sidelined Paredes at least six months.
“He's doing well and he's working hard," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "He's in good spirits, and I know he would rather be on the field. We hope for the best.”
Paredes was injured running to first base on a single to left field during a 7-6, 11-inning loss to Seattle. He left the game and was replaced by Zack Short. The 26-year-old Paredes is hitting .259 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs this season.
Brown said that while it is too early to know if foregoing surgery could cause lingering issues in the long run, the team was informed of NFL players who have come back with no problems after rehabbing similar hamstring injuries.
“You can come back from this injury, he said, "even though it was significant.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Alanis Thames, The Associated Press
