Ailing Gomez says he'll be ready for wild-card game
Houston Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez remains confident he'll be healthy enough to play in Tuesday's American League wild-card game against the New York Yankees after battling a side strain the final few weeks of the season.
"Yeah, definitely I'll be ready in New York," Gomez told the Houston Chronicle's Evan Drellich after the Astros clinched a wild-card berth Sunday. "You know because, that game means a lot for us. No matter what, I'm going to be ready. That's what we planned, the whole last five days made me feel better so I can be more 100 percent to do my best in New York."
Acquired from Milwaukee at the trade deadline, Gomez started just one of the Astros' final 20 games of the season after injuring his left intercostal muscle in early September.
The speedy center fielder returned Wednesday following a 13-game absence, but aggravated the injury and was held out of Houston's season-ending series in Arizona.
"I feel really good," Gomez said during Houston's postgame celebration. "It's a special moment. I know it's been tough for me because I want to do my best. But here we are. We make the playoffs, I can’t explain how good I feel because you know, being in the playoffs it's what we’re working for the whole year. And here we are."
Gomez has struggled since arriving in Houston, batting .242/.288/.283 with four homers in 41 games.