Subscribe
Follow Us
The Houston Astros are set to take on the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS, but they were dealt a worrying blow to the bullpen ahead of the best-of-five series. Via Jon Morosi, Astros GM James Click revealed that Phil Maton will not be on the ALDS roster after sustaining an injury “off the field.”
News: Phil Maton, not on the ALDS roster, sustained an injury “off the field,” per #Astros GM James Click. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 11, 2022
Maton was a surprise exclusion from the Astros' ALDS setup, and now it's been revealed that he's missed out due to injury. While Click only revealed that the injury was sustained off the field, Brian McTaggart revealed what truly happened to the veteran reliever.
According to McTaggart, Phil Maton broke the fifth metacarpal in his right hand after punching his locker in frustration on Wednesday. The Astros finished up the regular season with a matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, which they won 3-2. Maton pitched 0.1 innings in the game, surrendering two hits and two runs.
Phil Maton said he broke the fifth metacarpal in his right hand after punching his locker Wednesday. He had surgery yesterday.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 11, 2022
The real kicker here is that Maton let up a hit to his younger brother Nick Maton, who plays infield for the Phillies. Phil was visibly frustrated on the mound after his little brother got the best of him in their matchup, and it seems he may have taken those frustrations out on his locker. It seems the sibling rivalry reached extreme heights after Nick's single off Phil.
After that meltdown, Maton is now dealing with a broken metacarpal in his hand and has put himself out of the running for the ALDS. He underwent surgery on Monday, and the Astros revealed Tuesday that both he and fellow veteran reliever Will Smith would not be on the ALDS roster.
Maton featured in 67 games for the Astros in 2022, logging a 3.84 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. He walked 24 batters and allowed 10 home runs on the season, recording a 1.24 WHIP.
