"Even when we asked him to go back to Triple-A, we talked to him about how much of a family this is for him," general manager Dana Brown said. "'This is your home. Let's go back and let's figure out a few things.' Sometimes relievers go down and they come back ... and we're hoping that he comes back."

Beyond closer Josh Hader and set-up man Bryan Abreu, the structure of the Astros' bullpen is unclear. The trade of Ryan Pressly and exit of Hector Neris in free agency removed experience from it and leave the club to figure out a bridge to the back end. Tayler Scott projects as part of it. Bryan King, Kaleb Ort and Shawn Dubin are returning candidates. Ort is dealing with an oblique injury that will "take a little bit of time," Espada said Wednesday.