INCREADIBLE: Houston Astros have made 3 shocking changes

While much of the Houston Astros’ early struggles can be explained by rampant injuries to their starting rotation, their offense has had its share of issues as well. Three members of the starting lineup — Alex Bregman, Chas McCormick and Jose Abreu — still haven’t homered yet and are slugging below .350.

Abreu has been particularly brutal, slashing an anemic .078/.158/.098 with far more strikeouts (17) than hits and walks combined (seven). Given his age (37) and precipitous decline, it’s fair to wonder if he’s officially washed up.

Astros manager Joe Espada isn’t ready to give up on Abreu just yet based on his comments after Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves — Abreu’s third hitless game in a row.

Espada gave a weak defense of Abreu’s performance, suggesting he’ll eventually snap out of his slump based on his past success