Astros' Framber Valdez: Rejoining rotation this weekend
Rotowire
Valdez (elbow) completed a 40-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled to pitch Saturday or Sunday against the Rockies in Mexico City, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The left-hander landed on injured list with elbow inflammation April 9, and it appears he'll return after missing little more than the 15-day minimum. Valdez will likely face some workload limitations in his first few starts back given he's built up to only 40 pitches, but it will be a welcome return for a Houston rotation that's now also missing Cristian Javier (neck).
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Moves to bench Wednesday
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McCormick is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
McCormick will take a seat after he went a collective 5-for-14 with a pair of RBI, a urn and a stolen base over the past four games. Yordan Alvarez will fill in for McCormick as the Astros' starting left fielder.
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Astros' Jose Abreu: Sits again amid slump
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Abreu is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Abreu is on the bench for the second time in three days after an 0-for-3 showing in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Cubs dropped his season-long slash line to .065/.132/.081 over 68 plate appearances. Though Jon Singleton will pick up another start at Abreu's expense, prospect Joey Loperfido looks to be the longer-term replacement at first base if the Astros elect to move on from the struggling Abreu at any point. An outfielder for most of his minor-league career, Loperfido has made five starts at first base for Triple-A Sugar Land so far this season and has posted a 1.028 OPS over 20 games to put himself on the radar for a promotion.
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Astros' Jake Meyers: Blasts third homer
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Meyers went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Cubs.
Meyers has had a slow start to the season and lost out on playing time in center field to Mauricio Dubon as a result. However, Meyers started his second consecutive game Tuesday, and he tallied his third home run of the season and first since April 5. Meyers has just a 19 percent strikeout rate across 47 plate appearances -- down from a career rate of 28.3 percent -- so if he can regain regular playing time there is a chance his performance at the plate can turn around.
France (0-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out six.
France endured a nightmare first inning, yielding a two-run home run to Cody Bellinger and a three-run homer to Mike Tauchman. However, he settled in following the frame, allowing just one hit in his final four innings while keeping Chicago off the scoreboard. France has now given up multiple home runs in back-to-back starts. Despite his struggles, France will likely have another go-around in the rotation due to the Astros lacking healthy arms, and he's projected to make his next start against Cleveland this weekend.
Arrighetti will start Wednesday against the Cubs, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
He's taking over the rotation spot vacated by Cristian Javier (neck), who was placed on the 15-day injured list over the weekend. The Astros have a couple off days over the next week, and Javier could be back shortly after that, so Arrighetti may just be in line for a spot start. The rookie was bludgeoned for seven runs over three innings in his major-league debut earlier this month in Kansas City but was better in his second start April 15, holding Atlanta to two runs over four frames.
Brown (0-4) allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over four innings to take the loss Sunday against the Nationals. He struck out six.
Brown needed 34 pitches to get through the first inning, allowing three runs in the process. However, he was much better in the next three frames, facing just one more batter than the minimum, including striking out the side in the second. That's now 12 first-inning earned runs allowed by Brown through five starts this season. Despite the so-so outing, Brown saw his ERA drop from 10.54 to 9.68 and his WHIP fall from an abysmal 2.78 to a slightly less abysmal 2.49. Brown's next start is tentatively slated to take place next weekend, when the Astros travel to the high altitude of Denver to take on the Rockies.
The Astros recalled Arrighetti from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The right-hander was sent down to Sugar Land on Tuesday but will quickly rejoin the Astros as Cristian Javier (neck) landed on the injured list. Arrighetti could be an option to start, but Houston doesn't necessarily need to fill out its rotation immediately since it has three scheduled days off over the next nine days.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Moves to injured list
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Javier (neck) was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Javier was scheduled to start Sunday in Washington but was scratched with neck discomfort, and he'll be sidelined for at least the next couple weeks. The severity of the injury is unclear, so there's no official timeline for his return from the injured list. Houston has three scheduled off days before the end of April and can get by with a four-man rotation in the short term.
Brown is being moved up in the rotation to start Sunday against the Nationals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The right-hander was penciled in to start Tuesday against the Cubs but will instead face the Nationals since Cristian Javier was scratched due to neck discomfort. Brown delivered a quality start last Tuesday versus Atlanta, so he'll be on the typical four days rest and shouldn't have any limitations.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Scratched with neck discomfort
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Javier was scratched from Sunday's start against the Nationals due to neck discomfort, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
It's unclear when the injury first surfaced for Javier, but he won't be able to start Sunday as scheduled. Hunter Brown will be bumped up to start the series finale in Washington. The Astros have scheduled off days Monday and Friday this week, so the team can get by with four starters until May 4 versus the Mariners, if need be.
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Astros' A.J. Blubaugh: Hot start to 2024
Rotowire
Blubaugh has allowed one earned run across 11.1 innings with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Blubaugh began the 2024 season with Double-A Corpus Christi but was promoted to Sugar Land after just one start. Since reaching the highest level of the minors, he's prevented runs effectively while also posting an impressive 14:3 K:BB. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that Blubaugh has caught the attention of the organization due to his improved control and 1.5-mph uptick in velocity. Blubaugh hasn't gotten much attention as a prospect, but he could be a candidate for his big-league debut in 2024 if a need emerges in the Houston rotation.
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Astros' Rafael Montero: Pitching well to begin 2024
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Montero allowed one walk and no hits while striking out one across a scoreless inning to earn a hold Saturday against the Nationals.
The Astros were projected to have a strong bullpen with Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu all leading the way in high-leverage situations. However, each has struggled to begin the new campaign, while Montero has now turned in nine scoreless performances in 11 appearances. He's pitched primarily in the sixth and seventh innings this season, though he could earn higher-leverage work given his solid start.
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Astros' Ryan Pressly: Blows save chance
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Pressly allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and no walks while striking out one across one inning to blow the save Saturday against the Nationals.
Josh Hader threw 30 pitches to convert a save Friday, likely leaving him unavailable Saturday. Pressly was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning as a result, though he failed to do so through a combination of bad luck and poor pitching. The leadoff man reached base on catcher's interference, but Pressly then proceeded to surrender a double and single that resulted in two runs crossing the plate. Pressly had pitched fairly well recently, but he's now allowed at least one earned run in five of 10 games this season with an overall ERA of 8.31.
