4:22pm: James is back with the team, per Mark Berman of Fox 26. He was away from camp because he was awaiting the birth of his second child, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com was among those to report.
3:27pm: The Astros have placed five players on the injured list, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. 2019 Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez, right-handers Jose Urquidy, Shawn Dubin and Ralph Garza, and lefty Cionel Perez have all been shelved, though it’s not clear why in any of those cases. Rome tweets that Alvarez and Urquidy haven’t been present for the week-plus of Summer Camp to date, and manager Dusty Baker has attributed their absence to a “condition that prevents them from reporting to the field.”
Many teams throughout the league have had varying degrees of difficulty with regard to coronavirus testing delays, but it’s been a frequent issue for the Astros. Houston canceled last Monday’s workouts entirely, had no pitchers on hand yesterday and saw Alex Bregman miss a workout late last week due to delays in his test results.
As for Alvarez and Urquidy, their absence to date is especially troubling in its own right. That promising young pair’s health and well-being is of course the most important issue, but their importance to the club’s success can’t be understated, either. Alvarez immediately broke out as one of the league’s most feared bats last year when he hit .313/.412/.655 with 27 homers in just 369 plate appearances. Urquidy was all but assured a rotation spot behind Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr., having pitched to a 3.95 ERA (3.68 FIP) with a 40-to-7 K/BB ratio in 41 innings last year.
The Astros were already thin in the rotation behind those top three names, and McCullers carries some uncertainty himself, as this will be his first action back after 2018 Tommy John surgery. Urquidy’s absence could further create openings for some combination of Brad Peacock, Austin Pruitt and Framber Valdez on the starting staff. Right-hander Josh James has not yet reported to Summer Camp.
Urquidy and Alvarez must have coronavirus (or at least have tested positive for it) it’s kind of weird/funny that the players don’t just give permission to release that info (assuming that is indeed what it is). I mean hey it’s totally their choice and they certainly don’t owe me an explanation — but I just think it’s weird to care one way or another if it’s disclosed or not. like it’s nothing to be ashamed of or anything like that so why not just say it? And seeing as a DL placement with no other explanation essentially gives it away anyway… it just seems funny to not just release the info. But again, it’s totally up to them personally and they certainly don’t “owe” it to anyone to have to release it — just seems weird.
It is weird, those Houston guys don’t tell anyone anything. . . Even when they have immunity those guys stay tight lipped. Word on the street is That guy Alvarez was electrocuted trying to remove the Little guys buzzer. Look guys, don’t shoot the messenger. I heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy.
It’s just a public service announcement.
The more faces the better.
Peacock has been a reliable option for the Astros the past 3-4 years. Always surprised he didn’t get more starts.
Me too
*insert trash can joke here*
Did they put the trash can on the IL too?
heard the can might opt out
Anyone else who thought to themselves that the Astros delayed results may not be an accident due to their cheating scandal? Im just saying it and not blaming anyone but it could be anyone handling their tests who doesn’t like them, adds an extra day let’s say… its horrible and doesn’t make anything right but I wouldn’t put it past some people…
It’s more likely the delay is due to the surge of the virus in the state of Texas. Baseball players can hardly be the priority.
I’d hope that isn’t the case. If someone made a decision of that magnitude based off of not liking the Astros that would be wrong on many levels. Look I Hate them guys. Capital H…. Hate. But even at a small percentage chance of the virus being deadly, you just don’t take that chance because you hate them. It “could” have deadly consequences. You never know.
I ride them because I hate Bergman’s cocky attitude and I loved altuve, he was pure, and humble ….. I used to tell ppl when he first came up….. this guys a superstar.
Then he cheated his way right outta my good graces. I dislike it more than the juice because it was systemic. You had others help you. It’s not just hitting it 20 feet farther Or juice to help yourself. It’s I know what pitch is coming and he might even have worn a buzzer, we won’t ever know.
Feels like that time Tonya Harding hired a goon to crack Nancy’s knee cap. That’s the type of agony that dwarf put me through. I won’t ever get over it, but I don’t wish that on the guy.
FWIW, all the reports seem to point to Altuve being one of the few who didn’t use the system in 2017. I believe it was him, Kemp, and Reddick who didn’t use it at the plate.
I heard that too. I just don’t believe anything any of them say at all. Nor do I believe the reports at all. The mlb covered for them so much. They just wanted it to go away. I seen the game last year where they played the Yankees in the playoffs and they were whistling before certain pitches.
They were stealing signs through 2019 imho. Just my opinion. Do I have evidence? No, but they sure are good in the playoffs. Like when the dwarf took the best closer in the game yard on a hanging slider than nobody saw coming. I’m sure he was really waiting on that pitch lol. He could blow anyone away upstairs right there but José was really waiting on a junk hanger. Right…. I’m sure.
Not arguing with you but if José has more 200 hit seasons I’ll change my mind but until then that guy plays for cheaters who have lied over and over.
Pull up a sid-by-side of where that slider was on the plate and Altuve’s hot zone chart. That pitch was in a zone he likes. He didn’t see it coming but once it left the hand, he recognized it.
Or he heard the bang or felt a buzz….. sorry but I won’t give him the benefit of the doubt. Nobody saw that coming. Nobody. I don’t care if his hot zone is up Jennifer Lopez’ read end. Not happening brother.
Don’t rip my jersey off bro even though there’s pics of me all over the internet with a shirt off, even though I had a different excuse 2 or 3 times about my jersey. My wife gets jealous, my bad tattoo, I’m a shy guy. Lol get real man. Wake up and smell the coffee, when you cheat you lose the benefit of the doubt.
I mean I don’t think they cheated in 2019 but that pitch is no proof at all. Chapman threw a hanging slider and Altuve put it the one spot it was supposed to go. That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do against a pitcher like Chapman. You’re main goal is to foul off the hard stuff and hammer the soft mistakes. That’s what every major league hitter would’ve been waiting for.
Any great hitter, past or present, would’ve saw that hanging slider as soon as it left Chapman’s hand. Sorry, but Ruth, Griffey, Puckett, Musial, Greenberg, Fox, Mr. Padre, Mr, White Sox, Clemente, etc would’ve seen a pitch like that coming as soon as it left his hand. Was he looking for it? Maybe, maybe not. However, all of the best hittiers have the ability to recognize flat pitches. He recogized it and hit it for a home run. As for Altuve’s excuses, maybe he was lying. Maybe he did have a buzzer and on that pitch, he didn’t need it. Who knows. All I know is it doesn’t matter to me if you give him the benefit of the doubt or not. You’re entitled to your opinion and I’m entitled to mine: he recognized the pitch as a flat slider as soon as it left Chapman’s hand the way great hitters are supposed to.
@go Astros- good post. Your right, maybe I’m over reacting. Most good hitters would get to a mistake, I just feel like that when you face Chapman your never expecting that. Not that he has the worlds best slider, he’s not randy Jonson, but that pitch was trash even for his slider standards. I just can’t give him the benefit of the doubt. I can’t my guy.
Like you said we are all entitled to our opinions. I think your a wise poster who has good takes my guy. I agree with most of what you said til you put Kirby Puckett in there. You leave that guy outta this 🙂
Jd goat- I said I have no proof. I literally said “do I have evidence ? No”….. Look two posts back, We both agree nobody expected that junk and the little guy instantly recognized it. So the best closer in the game with the best heater in the game threw a junk slider late in the count and he bounced all over it. It’s not proof but it is suspicious. All the whistles from the dugout that series. It’s hard to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I fully agree with you he did what he was supposed to do but I guess I’m being hard on the guy. But let him prove me wrong and I’ll be happy to jump back on his band wagon. Until then that guy let me down. Him, Bregman, springer….. all great players but they gotta prove it to me and I’ll gladly change my mind.
I’m not one of these fight to the death idiots that will not change his mind. He very may well be the real deal, but let the guy have another 200 hit season with no speculation first. He doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt from me or a lot of fans until then.