Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday because of elbow inflammation as manager Joe Espada said he hoped the pitcher will miss only a couple of starts.
“He’s going to need some time to recover,” Espada said before the Astros’ game Tuesday. “We’ll watch the inflammation to see how quickly that comes down. Hopefully it could just be maybe two starts and we’ll get him back on the mound.”
Valdez was scratched from his scheduled start in the series opener, returned to Houston on Monday night and was diagnosed with inflammation on top of the elbow. The Astros made the IL placement retroactive to Saturday.
“I didn’t get any news on the ligament, just inflammation in that elbow,” Espada said. “We’ll see where he’s at in a day or two. We can get him back throwing and then we can assess how quickly we can get him back going. I think that’s pretty decent news.”
Valdez’s injury comes on the heels of a brutal start to the season health-wise for several of his fellow star pitchers that has prompted a debate within baseball about whether factors like a focus on velocity and spin rate or the new pitch clock are to blame for the issues.
2023 AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole is currently working his way back from the injured list after dealing with elbow inflammation in spring training, while Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider — the 2024 NL Cy Young preseason favorite — is out indefinitely with a UCL sprain. Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber was recently diagnosed with a torn UCL and will miss the entire 2024 season after elbow issues also sidelined him for several months in 2023.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani — who is still active in his first season with his new team as a designated hitter — and Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom are among those currently rehabbing from suffering torn UCLs in 2023. It was the second such injury for both players in their professional baseball careers.
Valdez had no-decisions in his first two starts, both Houston losses. He has allowed three runs in 12 1/3 innings with six walks and 10 strikeouts.
Valdez was 12-11 with a 3.45 ERA in a second consecutive All-Star season in 2023. He won 17 games in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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