Two days after he was forced to leave the game before first pitch, Jake Meyers was put on the IL with a calf strain.

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

Meyers joins a growing list of Astros out of action, including Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France, Brendan Rodgers, Zach Dezenzo, Jacob Melton, Chas McCormick, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski, and more. Despite all the injuries, Houston is 55-38 and hold a seven-game lead in the AL West.

The Houston Astros have been playing like the best team in baseball over the past several weeks, which has made it easy for many to overlook the troubling injur

While Smith became a breakout star during spring training because of his offensive power, he's still a rookie. He's exceeded expectations not only because of his mindset but also because the Astros promote a mentality where veterans want the younger players to succeed.

But ahead of the series against the Cleveland Guardians, the Astros announced a roster move involving Walker. The Astros placed Walker on the paternity list and called up outfielder Kennedy Corona from Triple-A Sugar Land.