Astros shut down George Springer for rest of season

The Houston Astros have announced their decision to shut down outfielder George Springer for the remainder of the season, as the 24-year-old has failed to fully recover from a quadriceps injury sustained in July.

At the time of Springer's promotion to the big leagues, he was considered to be among the best prospects in baseball, ranking as a top 20 overall prospect by both Baseball America (#18) and Baseball Prospectus (#20). He got off to a slow start statistically, but lit things up in May, hitting .294/.385/.647 with 10 home runs, coming in the span of 19 games. Unfortunately, Springer's season was cut short in July, when he injured his quad and landed on the DL, where he has remained since. The Astros were hoping to get Springer back before the end of the season, but after aggravating his injury during a rehab stint last month, it became apparent that sitting him may be the best option for the long-term health of the team and player.

On the season, Springer hit an overall solid .231/.336/.468 with a 127 wRC+ and 2.0 WAR, showing an extreme proneness to striking out, while also displaying elite power potential. With 20 home runs on the season, Springer falls one shy of Lance Berkman's franchise rookie record set in 2000.