Astros' Hader playing catch again after biceps tendinitis issue

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros closer Josh Hader played catch again Friday after the six-time All-Star left-hander dealt with biceps tendinitis while throwing bullpen sessions in the offseason.

Manager Joe Espada said Hader, who missed the end of last season with a shoulder capsule strain, had stopped playing catch after a series of offseason bullpens before getting to Florida for the start of spring training this week.

"Hopefully we could get him going here. He's trending in the right direction," Espada said. "We have plenty of time to get him back on the field since we know how important he is to our team."

The 31-year-old Hader was 6-2 with 28 saves and a 2.05 ERA in 48 appearances last season, his second since joining the Astros in free agency. His last game was a two-inning outing against the New York Yankees on Aug. 8, which was before Houston missed the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons.

Espada said Hader feels good and that the Astros are "just taking our time and make sure that we do this right."

Hader told reporters Wednesday at the start of camp, when he also played catch, that he was "a few weeks behind" because of the tendinitis, describing it as a little setback and nothing that was too concerning for him. He said he felt something in his biceps when throwing a changeup during his fourth bullpen of the offseason.

The shoulder wasn't an issue after he resumed throwing.

"Based on what he's telling us, he feels pretty good. So that's a good thing," general manager Dana Brown said. "We're going to just start to build him back up so he can get ramped up and ready to go."

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