Deadspin | Astros place INF Nick Allen on IL, add INF Braden Shewmake 
Mar 29, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Nick Allen (20) prepares for a pitch during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Houston Astros placed infielder Nick Allen on the injured list Monday with back spasms, while right-hander J.P. France was outrighted to Triple-A Sugar Land.
To replace Allen on the active roster, the Astros selected the contract of newly acquired infielder Braden Shewmake from Sugar Land, while right-hander Cristian Javier (shoulder) was moved to the 60-day injured list.
Allen, 27, was batting .250 with five runs scored over 14 games this season. He is a career .214 hitter with nine home runs and 65 RBIs in 396 career games with the Athletics (2022-25) and Astros.
France, 31, had an 8.10 ERA over three outings for Houston this season and has a 4.49 ERA in 34 appearances (28 starts) in parts of four seasons with the club. He was designated for assignment last week and cleared waivers before he was outrighted.
Shewmake, 28, is former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2019, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees on Sunday. In 31 major league games for the Braves and Chicago White Sox, Shewmake is a career .118 hitter with a home run and four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Astros #place #INF #Nick #Allen #add #INF #Braden #Shewmake
Mar 29, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Nick Allen (20) prepares for a pitch during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Houston Astros placed infielder Nick Allen on the injured list Monday with back spasms, while right-hander J.P. France was outrighted to Triple-A Sugar Land.
To replace Allen on the active roster, the Astros selected the contract of newly acquired infielder Braden Shewmake from Sugar Land, while right-hander Cristian Javier (shoulder) was moved to the 60-day injured list.
Allen, 27, was batting .250 with five runs scored over 14 games this season. He is a career .214 hitter with nine home runs and 65 RBIs in 396 career games with the Athletics (2022-25) and Astros.
France, 31, had an 8.10 ERA over three outings for Houston this season and has a 4.49 ERA in 34 appearances (28 starts) in parts of four seasons with the club. He was designated for assignment last week and cleared waivers before he was outrighted.
Shewmake, 28, is former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2019, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees on Sunday. In 31 major league games for the Braves and Chicago White Sox, Shewmake is a career .118 hitter with a home run and four RBIs.
–Field Level Media
![IPL 2026: Venkatesh Iyer on limited chances at RCB — Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean I am not part of the plan IPL 2026 has been a double whammy for Venkatesh Iyer. So strong is the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that he has featured in just one of six games.And in that match, because of the Impact Player rule, the all-rounder could only showcase one of his two skills.But the 31-year-old, who played leading roles in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title dash in 2024 and the runner-up finish in 2021, remains upbeat.“I am not used to sitting out, but as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” Venkatesh, who was signed for Rs. 7 crore, told reporters on Wednesday. “RCB is the defending champion. To tinker with a winning combination is not always the smartest move.“Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean that I am not part of the plan. I got one opportunity and I was extremely delighted that I scored (29 n.o., from 15 balls versus Rajasthan Royals). Right now, I am backing the boys 100 per cent to do the job.”Interestingly, from the 2023 season when the Impact Player rule was introduced, Venkatesh has bowled all of six balls in 41 outings.“Impact Player [rule] never stopped a Hardik [Pandya] or a [Andre] Russell or a [Sunil] Narine from bowling four overs,” Venkatesh opined. “It’s not stopping Nitish Reddy either. It actually pushes you to be the best all-rounder version that you can be.“But it does curtail the opportunity for the one- and two-over bowlers. If I am the captain, I need to figure out how to use my five [specialist] bowlers and how to give my sixth [part-time] bowler a go. But here, your sixth bowler is also a specialist bowler. So there is cushion for strategising.”Venkatesh, though, is not giving up on his bowling.“I know that I won’t be bowling four overs [in white-ball cricket]. So I try to identify someone who has played a lot of red-ball cricket.“I had Mitchell Starc [at KKR in 2024]. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. I make it a point to have conversations because I want to win Madhya Pradesh the Ranji Trophy once again. And I know that I can do it with a ball in hand.”Published on Apr 22, 2026 #IPL #Venkatesh #Iyer #limited #chances #RCB #Sitting #wings #doesnt #part #plan](https://i1.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/gxtfyh/article70893892.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/_DSC3856.JPG?ssl=1 "IPL 2026: Venkatesh Iyer on limited chances at RCB — Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean I am not part of the plan IPL 2026 has been a double whammy for Venkatesh Iyer. So strong is the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that he has featured in just one of six games.And in that match, because of the Impact Player rule, the all-rounder could only showcase one of his two skills.But the 31-year-old, who played leading roles in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title dash in 2024 and the runner-up finish in 2021, remains upbeat.“I am not used to sitting out, but as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” Venkatesh, who was signed for Rs. 7 crore, told reporters on Wednesday. “RCB is the defending champion. To tinker with a winning combination is not always the smartest move.“Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean that I am not part of the plan. I got one opportunity and I was extremely delighted that I scored (29 n.o., from 15 balls versus Rajasthan Royals). Right now, I am backing the boys 100 per cent to do the job.”Interestingly, from the 2023 season when the Impact Player rule was introduced, Venkatesh has bowled all of six balls in 41 outings.“Impact Player [rule] never stopped a Hardik [Pandya] or a [Andre] Russell or a [Sunil] Narine from bowling four overs,” Venkatesh opined. “It’s not stopping Nitish Reddy either. It actually pushes you to be the best all-rounder version that you can be.“But it does curtail the opportunity for the one- and two-over bowlers. If I am the captain, I need to figure out how to use my five [specialist] bowlers and how to give my sixth [part-time] bowler a go. But here, your sixth bowler is also a specialist bowler. So there is cushion for strategising.”Venkatesh, though, is not giving up on his bowling.“I know that I won’t be bowling four overs [in white-ball cricket]. So I try to identify someone who has played a lot of red-ball cricket.“I had Mitchell Starc [at KKR in 2024]. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. I make it a point to have conversations because I want to win Madhya Pradesh the Ranji Trophy once again. And I know that I can do it with a ball in hand.”Published on Apr 22, 2026 #IPL #Venkatesh #Iyer #limited #chances #RCB #Sitting #wings #doesnt #part #plan")
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