Joe Espada Returns to Astros Dugout After Family Emergency
Astros manager Joe Espada is back with the club after a family emergency and will manage Houston's series opener in New York, per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Joe Espada is back in the dugout. Per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros manager has returned to the club following a family emergency and will manage Houston's series opener in New York.
The timing adds a layer of context worth noting: Espada's return comes days after the Astros parted ways with GM Dana Brown, a front-office shakeup that also brought word — per multiple reports — that Espada himself is expected to be let go after the season concludes. He is, in other words, managing out the string in the Bronx under circumstances that are anything but routine.
What remains unconfirmed is the nature of the family matter that kept him away, and no timetable or additional detail has been reported.
What to watch
The club has not indicated any further changes to the managerial role before season's end. Whether the front-office vacancy affects baseball operations in the interim is an open question — the Astros currently have no GM in place.
More on the Astros wire.
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