KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch held center fielder Carlos Gomez out of the starting lineup in Game 1 of the AL Division Series with a strained left intercostal but said he's hoping Gomez will be available to start Game 2 against Kansas City on Friday at Kauffman Stadium.
Gomez started in center and hit a solo home run in Houston's 3-0 wild-card victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday. He was replaced in the starting lineup Thursday by Jake Marisnick, who batted ninth for the Astros.
Gomez has been undergoing daily treatment for the injury, which has been bothering him since mid-September. Hinch said he expected Gomez to be available off the bench in the series opener.
"This guy is battling through some soreness," Hinch said. "I took it out of his hands and decided I was going to play him one of these first two games, and I'm aiming for tomorrow. I'm obviously being very cautious with him. With the type of injury he has, he's one swing or throw or torque away from things not going our way.
"I'm sure he'll be asking me to go into the game from about the second inning on. I'm really proud of how he's going about it. He's one of the toughest guys I've been around. To have him on our side and willing to fight through this is pretty cool."
The Astros acquired Gomez and pitcher Mike Fiers from Houston for four prospects in a July 30 non-waiver deadline trade. Gomez hit .242 with a .670 OPS and four home runs in 41 regular-season games with Houston.