Bad luck has struck the Houston Astros, as it has been announced that Framber Valdez has fractured his left ring finger. The injury occurred in his spring training start against the New York Mets earlier in the week. There is no timetable for the left-hander’s return at the moment.
The injury happened in the first inning against the Mets, when shortstop Francisco Lindor hit a comebacker that struck Valdez’s pitching hand as he guided it into his glove. The pitcher made the throw to first and looked at his hand after the play. However, he shook off the trainer and finished both that inning and the next. Houston decided to take an x-ray of the hand and it showed a fracture in the finger. While there is no timetable for his return, Valdez is expected to miss an extended period of time.
Valdez was one of the great breakout players of the 2020 season. The lefty went 5-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 10 starts and one relief appearance in the regular season. In the postseason, Valdez was even more impressive. In three starts and a relief appearance, he went 3-1 with a 1.88 ERA.
Astros Pitching Depth
Valdez was expected to be a key member of the Astros pitching staff, likely slotting in behind Zack Greinke in the rotation. Houston’s rotation was likely to be Greinke, Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, and Jose Urquidy. With the injury to Valdez, Houston will have to rely more heavily on other options. Other options include Brandon Bielak, Luis Garcia, and Austin Pruitt. The Astros have minor league options in top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley as well as Peter Solomon. Finally, Jake Odorizzi is still on the free agent market and could be a good fit. Valdez’s fractured finger is a hit to this rotation and will test the Astros pitching depth.
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Players Mentioned:
Framber Valdez, Francisco Lindor, Zack Greinke, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, Brandon Bielak, Luis Garcia, Austin Pruitt, Forrest Whitley, Peter Solomon, Jake Odorizzi
