Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez, who has earned two All-Star selections, was pulled from his scheduled start on Monday due to discomfort in his elbow, the team revealed.
According to MLB.com, Valdez experienced soreness while playing catch on Sunday and subsequently traveled to Houston on Monday morning for evaluation by the team’s medical staff. His planned start against the Texas Rangers in Arlington was thus canceled.
While Astros manager Joe Espada and general manager Dana Brown indicated that Valdez had not been placed on the 15-day injured list yet, they emphasized the need for further assessment by medical professionals:
“The fact we didn’t put him on the IL is a good sign, we’ll see what the doctors say,” Espada commented.
In the interim, the Astros summoned Blair Henley from Triple-A Sugar Land to make his MLB debut against the Rangers on Monday. Henley, a seventh-round draft pick from the University of Texas in 2019, recorded a 5.06 ERA in Double-A last season.
Valdez, who has garnered Cy Young recognition and All-Star honors in recent seasons, has amassed a 3.13 ERA over 399 1/3 combined innings for the Astros. He had started the current season impressively, registering a 2.19 ERA across two starts totaling 12 1/3 innings.
Despite the team’s expressed optimism, fans may still be apprehensive about the potential impact of another significant pitching injury, especially in light of recent events across the league.
Several prominent pitchers, including Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians, Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves, and Eury Pérez of the Miami Marlins, have been sidelined due to elbow issues. Both Bieber and Pérez are slated for Tommy John surgery, while Strider is seeking a second opinion.
These developments have reignited discussions within MLB about injury prevention measures, with particular attention to the impact of the pitch clock, an issue that has sparked debate between the MLB Players Association and MLB officials.
