DETROIT — Houston Astros infielders Nick Allen and Braden Shewmake were scheduled to begin minor-league rehab assignments Saturday in their recoveries from injuries.
Allen, who is returning from a left hamstring strain, was set to join Triple-A Sugar Land to begin playing rehab games. Allen injured his hamstring June 7 running the bases. The utility infielder has played in 37 games for the Astros this season with a .250/.290/.328 slash line in 70 plate appearances.
Shewmake, who was placed on the injured list June 2 with a right adductor strain, was assigned to the Astros’ Florida Complex League affiliate to begin his rehab assignment. Shewmake played in 28 games with Houston before his injury, posting a .243/.260/.405 slash line over 79 plate appearances.
• Lance McCullers Jr. is slated to make his second rehab start in his recovery from a shoulder injury Wednesday for Triple-A Sugar Land, manager Joe Espada said. McCullers threw three innings and 42 pitches in his first rehab start Thursday at Triple-A, with two hits allowed, no walks and four strikeouts.
Friday, Espada said McCullers will need “a few more” rehab outings as he works toward potentially re-joining the Astros: “It’s all about how he feels, how good his stuff looks, and then once we get close to making those decisions, we’ll have a conversation about where all those guys will fit.”
• Ronel Blanco will make his next rehab start Wednesday for Double-A Corpus Christi in his return from Tommy John surgery, Espada said. Blanco threw 3 ⅓ innings and 50 pitches in his last outing at Corpus Christi, allowing two hits, walking two and striking out two.