The Houston Astros are just 3-7 in 2024. Their pitching has dealt with underperformance and injuries. There has been quite a bit of frustration for the ball club on the pitching side thus far with the exception of Ronel Blanco's emergence.
Framber Valdez has pitched at a respectable level as well, but the Astros made an eye-opening move on Monday, via Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston.
“BREAKING: The #Astros are calling up RHP Blair Henley, who will start tonight in place of LHP Framber Valdez, multiple sources tell KPRC 2. Henley, a 2019 7th round pick out of Texas, will make his major league debut,” Alexander wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
It is a tremendous opportunity for Henley, but why is Valdez not starting on Monday against the Texas Rangers? The left-hander is reportedly dealing with elbow soreness, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
“Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez was scratched from today’s start with elbow soreness. He will be evaluated by doctors to determine the severity of the injury,” Passan wrote on X.
Pitching injuries have been far too common so far in 2024. Gerrit Cole, Shane Bieber, Eury Perez, and Spencer Strider are just a few of the hurlers who have battled injuries so far this season.
The Astros are obviously hopeful that Valdez will be alright. But anytime an elbow issue surfaces for a pitcher there is reason for concern.
Astros need Framber Valdez
Valdez, 30, has made back-to-back All-Star teams. He has averaged right around 200 innings over the past two years as well.
Valdez has also been consistent, starting 31 games in both 2022 and 2023. Overall, he was better in 2022, pitching to a 2.82 ERA with 194 strikeouts. He actually struck out more hitters in 2023 with a mark of 200, but recorded a respectable albeit far from spectacular 3.45 ERA during the '23 campaign.
Nevertheless, the Astros need Framber Valdez in their rotation. Pitchers such as Justin Verlander, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, and Lance McCullers Jr. are already battling injuries, so losing Valdez for an extended period of time would be a devastating blow.
We obviously do not want to speculate about anything. All we know as of this story's publication is that Valdez was scratched from Monday's start against the Rangers due to elbow soreness.
Astros' starting rotation
The Astros starting rotation is thin right now. Christian Javier, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, and JP France are all starting options. Now, Henley could carve out a permanent role in the rotation if the opportunity presents itself.
Houston is hoping to make a playoff run once again in 2024. The Astros have been one of the most consistent teams in MLB over the past few years. Remaining competitive is going to be difficult amid their plethora of pitching injuries, however.
We will continue to monitor and provide updates on Framber Valdez's injury status as they are made available.
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