Unfortunately, the Houston Astros, who are 28-35 this year, have faced a challenging start to the season, and to add injury to insult, things just got worse. The Stros not only lost one but two of their starting pitchers. On Wednesday, June 5, the team announced that Cristian Javier and José Urquidy will be out for the remainder of the season.
As of this week, Javier and Urquidy are set to undergo season-ending right elbow surgeries. In addition to those two players, Kyle Tucker, Spencer Arrighetti, Bennett Sousa, Kendall Graveman, Penn Murfee, Lance McCullers Jr., Oliver Ortega, and Luis Garcia are currently dealing with injuries. The severity of Javier and Urquidy’s injuries is still pending further information, but Houston general manager Dana Brown mentioned that Tommy John surgery is “certainly a possibility” for both pitchers on Wednesday morning.
“Right now, they’re both having elbow surgeries,” Brown said. “We’re not sure the extent of it. But Tommy John’s certainly possible.”
Tommy John surgery happens a lot among pitchers in the MLB and involves the reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament with a tendon in another part of the body. The typical recovery time for this injury is usually between 12 to 14 months. As a result, both pitchers will most likely be out until at least the second half of the 2025 season.
Astros manager Joe Espada was unhappy to hear the news about the injuries of his two starting pitchers.
“It just sucks,” Espada said. “What they mean to this team, to the organization, what they have done and accomplished, it sucks to see them go down with these injuries. Wish the surgery to go well, full recovery and getting back on the field.”
Urquidy, 29, who had been on the IL (injury list) since suffering a right forearm strain during Spring Training, previously had this operation done in 2017 while playing in the Astros’ minor league system, two years before playing in his first MLB game in 2019.
After his first Tommy John surgery, he returned to the lineup and pitched for the Astros in each of the past five seasons. He recorded a 3.98 ERA in 79 regular-season appearances, with a 4.08 ERA in 15 career postseason games.
Last season, a shoulder injury caused Urquidy to miss three months of the season, and he posted a 5.29 ERA in 16 games. He and the Astros agreed to a $3.75 million contract in the offseason in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Urquidy has one year of eligibility remaining.
Javier, 27, who had been on the IL since May 27 due to multiple injuries –with his right forearm discomfort being the latest – made seven starts and pitched to a 3.89 ERA in 34 2/3 innings this season. Last season, Javier fished with 31 starts and 162 innings pitched, both career highs, with a 4.56 ERA.
In his first four starts of the season, before being placed on the IL on April 2 due to neck discomfort, he had a 1.54 ERA. He even continued to play well when he returned from injury on May 2. In his next three starts, Javier only allowed 11 runs in 11⅓ innings. However, in his last start on May 21 against the Angels, Javier showed a significant drop in velocity, with his fastball ranging from 88.2 to 91.1 mph. Last season, the Astros’ right-handed pitcher inked a contract extension with a base salary of $7 million in 2023, $10 million in 2025, and $21 million in 2026 and 2027.
“I think Javier was in a decent mood,” Brown said. “I think he felt like he was losing his velocity on his fastball. And now knowing that he’s going to get fixed and potentially be back here at the end of next July or so … I think there’s some relief in knowing. And Urquidy, he’s a battler. Of course, he’s disappointed. But we’ll get through it.”
Brown wasn’t surprised by injuries his ball club endured this season due to the high volume of games played in recent years.
“These injuries, they happen,” Brown said. “These guys have pitched a lot, and I’ve been saying for a long time – the 97 extra games from these last seven years, going to the (ALCS) seven times, at some point, it takes its toll on your players.”
With multiple injuries plaguing this year’s Astros team, the ball club must rely heavily on their prospects. According to Brown, there are three pitchers who he sees will make an impact on his team soon. Brown mentioned right-hander A.J. Blubaugh and lefty Colton Gordon, both of whom have made starts at Triple-A Sugar Land this season, and Double-A right-hander Jake Bloss.
Blubaugh has a 1.42 WHIP and 4.00 ERA in 10 games (9 starts) for Sugar Land. Gordon has appeared in seven games (six starts), pitching to a 4.35 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP over 31 innings. Bloss, a third-round pick out of Georgetown last year, has made six starts in Double-A and recorded a 1.93 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 28 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.
Although the Astros have been satisfied with their pitching rotation as of late, with the starting five of Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti, he is still encouraging his young players to stay ready and continue to improve, especially the ones with some experience.
“We have the young kids stepping up and starting to throw the ball well, so I think our rotation is pretty good right now,” Brown said. “You never want to lose those types of arms. But there’s no panic because our guys are really throwing well.”
