The Astros enter September with the kind of runway that can define a season: 24 games left, a division lead in hand and nine of their first 12 against teams currently in playoff position. After finishing August 14-13, Houston is still looking at a month that will test every part of the roster.
That’s why September matters so much for a handful of key players. The Astros have avoided a losing month all year after opening 8-18 in April, but they know how quickly a good season can wobble. Last September, Houston went 12-13 and missed the playoffs by one game, snapping an eight-year postseason streak.
Yordan Alvarez sits at the center of it all. After winning American League Player of the Month for July, the second time he’s taken the award in 2026, he cooled in August but still put up a .287/.415/.457 line with two homers and 12 RBIs over 27 games.
He was intentionally walked nine times and still held the lead in two of the three AL Triple Crown categories, batting .317 with 94 RBIs, while also being tied with Junior Caminero for the home run lead at 37. If Alvarez finishes strong, he could lock up the AL MVP and help Houston finish the job in the West.
Hunter Brown is another critical piece. He lost more than two months early because of a right shoulder strain, which means he should be fresher than most pitchers down the stretch after logging just 81 innings.
Brown looked more like himself in his final two starts of August, allowing two runs, 12 hits and four walks while striking out 14 in 12 1/3 innings. With the rotation lacking depth, Houston needs quality starts from him.
One note that hangs over September: it’s the only month in Brown’s career where he’s had a losing record, going 5-8 with a 4.22 ERA in 18 games, 15 of them starts.
In the bullpen, rookie right-hander AJ Blubaugh has become a real late-inning option for Joe Espada. His 98-mph four-seam fastball has given hitters fits, and he can cover more than one inning when needed.
A closer in college, Blubaugh finished August with 12 straight scoreless innings across eight games. He leads the majors with 26 relief appearances of at least two innings, the most by an Astros pitcher since Dave Veres had 27 in 1995, and he also leads the majors with 84 1/3 innings in relief.
Opponents are batting just .200 against his fastball, and left-handed hitters are at .168.
Jose Altuve remains a key bat in the middle of the lineup. He entered September needing six hits to reach 2,500 for his career, but the Astros need more than the milestone chase from him.
After struggles in June and July, Altuve posted an .813 OPS in August and got Monday off, which should be his last day off before the season ends. He has spent much of the past month in the cleanup spot, where Houston has often slotted him behind Jeremy Peña, Alvarez and Isaac Paredes.
That spot has been a problem area for the club, with Astros hitters posting a .223 average from cleanup, second-worst in MLB.
Carlos Correa gives the Astros one more September storyline to watch. He is set to see a doctor Tuesday for a four-month follow-up after the peroneus brevis tendon repair surgery on his left ankle that he had May 11.
The original expectation was that he would be out for the rest of the season, but he started swinging about a month ago. If Tuesday’s checkup goes well, he could move on to running the bases and sliding, which would make a return more realistic.
Espada would then have to sort through five infielders with Alvarez at DH most nights, but that would be a good problem to have. Correa’s impact wouldn’t stop on the field, either; his presence in the clubhouse would be enough to give the club a lift.
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Astros Have A September Roster Decision Fans Should Watch Closely
September always brings a little roster maneuvering, and for the Astros, the move to a 28-man club on Sept. 1 opens the door to add some help for the final month. The front office has a few interesting names to consider from Triple-A, where Miguel Ullola, Cavan Biggio and Trenton Brooks have all put together strong stretches that could make them useful in different ways.
Ullola gives Houston another pitching option, while Biggio and Brooks bring the kind of versatility that can matter when depth gets thin and matchups start dictating decisions. With the stretch run ahead and every game carrying extra weight, the Astros will have to decide which minor league performers are most ready to translate that recent production into a useful September role. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Got An Unlikely Offensive Boost They May Really Need
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Velzquez provided the biggest swing of the night with a go-ahead two-run homer in the fourth, a jolt that helped turn a close game in Houstons favor. Smith then added a two-run double in the next inning to widen the gap, a useful reminder for the Astros that production can come from places they may not have been counting on as the season pushes deeper into its stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Bullpen Is Carrying A Playoff Push Few Saw Coming
The Astros keep finding ways to win because the relief corps has turned into a real weapon at exactly the right time. In a recent victory over the White Sox, Houstons bullpen covered 4 innings and gave up just two hits and one run, a reminder that the back end of games has become a strength rather than a concern. Josh Hader has been the headliner, but the group around him has helped make the entire inning-by-inning picture look much steadier.
Haders season has been as sharp as ever, with one miss in his last 48 save chances and a minuscule ERA in 37 appearances. Just as important for Houston, Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert, Cristian Javier and Tatsuya Imai have all looked more settled in their second-half roles, giving the Astros multiple arms they can trust when the margins get tight. For a club trying to keep its playoff push moving, the bullpen may be the part of the roster that changes the whole conversation. [Read more 🡒]