The Houston Astros have played well to start the season, but they're dealing with an injury to one of their key players. Ace Hunter Brown was recently placed on the 15-day injured list because of a strain in his pitching shoulder. The last time he pitched was earlier in the week against the Boston Red Sox, where he had eight strikeouts over six innings.
Though there may be concern outside of the clubhouse, Brown himself doesn't seem to be worried about the injury, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
“He didn’t sound concerned, which is good,” Joe Espada said. “But also it’s new, right, so we’re going to let the doctors evaluate him and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
That's good news for the Astros, but it's also still not certain if Brown will miss more than the 15 days or if he will come back on time. In two starts this season, Brown has a 0.84 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings.
Brown has shown since last season that he will be a key piece for the Astros, as he posted a 2.43 ERA in 31 starts and led the Astros pitching staff with a 6.1 WAR. That helped him finish third in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
Coming into this season, Brown was seen as the clear ace for the team, especially with Framber Valdez moving on during free agency.
Hopefully, Brown doesn't have to miss extended time, and he comes back after sitting out for the next 15 days.
