Houston Astros Starting Pitching Depth Gets Hit Again By Injury
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Injuries have lingered around the Houston Astros organization since 2023 Opening Day. They're down multiple starting pitchers but manager Dusty Baker has made do thus far.
Right-handers Hunter Brown, Brandon Bielak, and J.P. France are in the rotation due to the injuries of Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, and Lance McCullers Jr.
The Astros moved to a six-man rotation. Houston added right-hander Ronel Blanco to the active roster this week.
He made his first MLB start on Friday night, keeping the Los Angeles Angels to two runs and seven hits in 5.1 innings and collecting his first career victory.
But the reason Blanco was called up was because the injury bug made its way into the farm system.
In a statement from the organization, Forrest Whitley—a 2016 first-round pick who was once the top prospect in the Astros' system—is expected to miss three to four months with a right lat strain.
That timetable puts his 2023 campaign in limbo.
Whitley (1-2, 5.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) made eight appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land prior to his injury. Whitley’s 23.7 percent strikeout rate was solid but he walked nearly 13 percent of opposing hitters
Houston will have to weigh whether it’s worth keeping Whitley on the 40-man this offseason.
Double-A standouts outfielder Drew Gilbert and second baseman Will Wagner- who rank No. 1 and No. 12 respectively on MLB Pipeline's list of Astros prospects, both are still dealing with injury issues.
Gilbert, the team's first-round pick from last season, is currently limited to DH'ing and is working with the medical staff as he deals with left elbow discomfort. At Double-A Corpus Christi, he's slashing .246/.373/.333 with one home run and eight RBI.
Astros general manager Dana Brown is bullish on Gilbert and if his health can improve, it's not out of the question he could see a MLB stadium in 2023.
Wagner, the son of legendary Astros closer Billy Wagner, is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to remove the right hook of hamate bone in his right hand. Prior to the surgery, he was slashing .270/.353./432 with two homers and 11 RBI.
He was shut down earlier this week at Double-A Corpus Christi due to what was originally described as right wrist discomfort. More testing showed the need for a surgical procedure on his hamate bone.
The 24-year-old infielder could be in recovery mode for almost two months.
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