The Astros are left-handed Framber Valdez He was scratched from the start of the day due to soreness in the upper part of his left elbow after playing catch Chandler Rome of The Athletic Among those who report the news. While the club is in Arlington to face the Rangers, Valdez is in Houston to meet with team doctors, head coach Joe Espada said.
At this stage, it is not yet clear how serious the injury is and Valdez has not yet been placed on the injured list, but it is nonetheless a worrying development for a number of reasons. For one thing, there has been an unfortunate spate of injuries recently, with stars like Shane Bieber And Yuri Perez Recently required season-ending surgeries. Another big name, Spencer StriderHe is still trying to find out how serious his injury is but there are fears he may have to undergo surgery as well. Men love Shohei Otani, Jacob deGrom, Sandy Alcantara, Robbie Ray, Shane McClanahan Many others are recovering from surgery last year.
The rash of injuries has led to a recent dispute between the MLBPA and the league, with players concerned about the effects of the pitch clock while the league believes the increase in speed and spin in the modern game is to blame. It remains unclear whether Valdez will follow these other pitchers to undergo major surgery, with both Espada and general manager Dana Brown downplaying that concern, per Rome. But the fact that another star player is dealing with a potential elbow injury can only add to the ongoing tension.
Beyond the league-wide implications, it's also a scary development for the Astros, as Valdez has emerged as a big part of the club's success in recent years. He has a 3.17 earned run average in 617 innings dating back to the start of the 2020 season. He has struck out 23.8% of the batters he has faced in that time, walking just 8% of them while keeping the ball on the ground at a 62.8% rate.
Putting up that kind of good performance would hurt any rotation but would be especially noteworthy for the Astros at this moment in time. They are already without Lance McCullers Jr And Luis Garcia JrThey both had elbow surgery last year and are still recovering. Recently, both Justin Verlander, Jose Urquidi And Sean Dubin He landed on the injured list due to injuries. Verlander is close to returning, having begun a rehab stint over the weekend, but this is clearly not the ideal time for another domino to fall, so they're clearly hoping Valdez isn't seriously hurt. for now, Blair Henley He was called upon to start Christian Javier, Hunter Brown, GB France And Ronel Blanco Fill the rest of the rotation.
As for Valdez personally, he's in his penultimate season of club control, and is currently scheduled to hit free agency after 2025. In a worst-case scenario where he needs Tommy John surgery and misses more than a year, that would mean he'd be headed public. Market with almost no innings in the two seasons prior to becoming a free agent.
It's worth noting that none of that has happened yet and Valdez isn't even on the injured list. However, this simple update of some pain clearly has the potential to have some ripple effects if it turns into something serious, given the potential impacts on the Astros, on Valdez himself and the turbulent situation between MLB and the MLBPA.
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