Houston Astros New Superstar Sent Back From Camp For MRI, Evaluation Of Injury

The Houston Astros have emerged through what was a difficult offseason after losing two of their key players with a new core and a renewed optimism from the fanbase.

Arguably the main focal point of that new core was the most significant free agent the team signed in former Arizona Diamondbacks star first baseman Christian Walker. Coming off a three-year run where he was one of the best first baseman in all of baseball, the Astros awarded the veteran with a lucrative three-year deal worth $60 million.

For the majority of his career, Walker has stayed fairly healthy, but he did miss some time - roughly a month - in 2024 with an oblique injury. In a relatively alarming update, the slugger was scratched from a spring training start on Wednesday with soreness in the same oblique.

Now on Thursday, manager Joe Espada has told media including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that Walker is being sent back from camp to Houston for further evaluation including an MRI.

"This is an injury that happened to him in the past and he walked in feeling pretty good about things, but we want to make sure," Espada said.

With still three weeks left before the season begins, it should also be noted Walker said the issue with the oblique this time around is not as serious as last season when he missed roughly a month. If the 33-year-old is correct, he should in theory still have a great chance at being healthy by the time Opening Day rolls around.

Nonetheless, it's an unfortunate development for an Astros team who is counting heavily on the production they believed they were getting when they signed Walker.

In terms of OPS, Houston ranked No. 27 in all of baseball with a paltry mark of .651 from the first base position in 2024 largely due to a revolving door of names, none of which were extremely effective.

Walker's slash line of .250/.332/.481 over the last three seasons obviously presents an instant upgrade in the lineup, but he has also won a Gold Glove the last three consecutive years as well.

While his signing may have came as a bit of a surprise following the decision to trade Kyle Tucker appearing as if a rebuild was in the cards, the Astros are still very much trying to win, and in order to do that Walker is going to be an absolutely crucial piece.

Fans in Houston will wait with baited breath on the update following Walker's MRI, but with it appearing potentially serious enough to warrant a return from camp, nerves throughout the fanbase are as high as they could be.

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