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Astros Place Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy On Injured List

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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.

Latest On Astros’ Rotation

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For obvious reasons, the Astros have made plenty of negative headlines in recent weeks. The start of the regular season continues to close in, though, so despite all the outside noise, the Astros will have to turn the page and focus on defending their American League pennant from a year ago.

When they do take the field the season, the Astros’ rotation figures to look quite a bit different than the all-world unit they relied on in 2019. Gone from that group are AL Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley, a duo that combined for almost 380 innings of excellent pitching. Now, the Astros still have a great front-of-the-rotation tandem in Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke, and they’re slated to get Lance McCullers Jr. back after he missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Beyond, Verlander, Greinke and McCullers, the rest of the Astros’ rotation picture is less clear. However, pitching coach Brent Strom shed some light on it in a discussion with Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Strom suggested that Jose Urquidy is in line for the No. 4 spot. He also revealed that the Astros don’t expect to count on righty Brad Peacock as a starter. The veteran swingman made 15 starts in 23 appearances last year, but the neck issues that slowed him in 2019 have continued. Houston now expects him to factor into its bullpen instead of its rotation.

Regarding Peacock and the Astros’ starting staff, Strom told McTaggart, “I think you can probably count [Brad] Peacock out of the race.” Strom added that Peacock’s “probably more valuable to us in the bullpen,” leaving (in his view) Austin Pruitt, Josh James and Framber Valdez to compete for the No. 5 position. Although towering righty Forrest Whitley has been one of the Astros’ top prospects for at least a couple years, he’s probably not “a viable candidate” to land a job in their season-opening rotation, according to Strom.

Among the actual competitors for the Astros’ No. 5 position, only Pruitt’s new to the team. He joined the Astros in a trade with the Rays last month. The 30-year-old’s known for his high spin rate, but it hasn’t translated to much major league success thus far. Since debuting in 2017, Pruitt has posted 199 2/3 innings of 4.87 ERA ball (with a far superior 4.17 FIP and a solid 48.9 percent groundball rate) and recorded 6.63 K/9 against 2.25 BB/9. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll have to earn a place on Houston’s 26-man roster or potentially be lost on waivers.

James, a fellow righty, and the left-handed Valdez still have options remaining. The hard-throwing James made an encouraging – albeit brief – debut in 2018, though he had difficulty with control in a relief role last season. The 26-year-old ended up tossing 61 1/3 frames and notching a 4.70 ERA/3.98 FIP with 5.14 walks per nine. On a better note, he did log a tremendous 14.67 K/9 while averaging 97.2 mph on his fastball.

Valdez, also 26, joined James in amassing lots of innings but struggling to throw strikes last season. He walked 5.6 hitters per nine, helping lead to a 5.86 ERA/4.98 FIP in 70 2/3 innings between the Astros’ rotation and bullpen. Valdez’s strikeout rate (8.66 K/9) was a lot worse than James’, but he did induce grounders at an outstanding 62.1 percent clip.

Just-hired manager Dusty Baker will clearly have to make some key decisions in forming a new-look rotation before the season commences. Verlander, Greinke and McCullers are locks, but the Astros don’t have any proven commodities after that trio.

Astros Rotation Status

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The Astros have lots on their plate after a difficult couple of weeks in the public eye, but they have on-field issues at hand as well. Now that the manager and GM are in place, the focus can soon return to the field. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke make for an enviable top of the rotation, but there’s uncertainty beyond their veteran aces, writes MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.

Lance McCullers Jr. will return from elbow surgery to man the third spot in the rotation, and after his strong performance in the postseason, Jose Urquidy has a good chance of claiming one of the two remaining slots. But with a new GM and manager stepping in, there’s a potential clean slate working against the otherwise favored.

A host of candidates are on hand to push Urquidy and contend for the final rotation role. Brad Peacock and Austin Pruitt are the veterans with rotation experience on hand, with either one capable of taking turns in the rotation.

Beyond the vets, there are a host of young arms capable of proving their readiness and stepping into the rotation. Josh James, Bryan Abreu, Framber Valdez, Forrest Whitley, Austin Pruitt, Cy Sneed and Francis Martes. There’s more at stake in this arms race, as there are three to four bullpen spots available for those left out of the dugout.

Luhnow: Jose Urquidy “Likely” To Be In Astros’ 2020 Rotation

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With both Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley slated to hit free agency this winter and Lance McCullers Jr. still on the mend from 2018 Tommy John surgery, it’s readily apparent that the Astros are going to have some offseason pitching needs. As such, it’s of some note that president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow told The Athletic’s Jake Kaplan (subscription required) this week that the organization views young right-hander Jose Urquidy as a likely member of its 2020 rotation.

“Urquidy’s going to be likely in our rotation next year,” Luhnow said in discussing the 24-year-old’s chances of making the postseason roster. “…He’s done an unbelievable job. He’s a talented pitcher who knows how to pitch in high-pressure situations. If he’s the right guy to make our roster in the DS or the CS or the WS, he’ll make it ,and hopefully he’s going to get some big outs for us in the postseason.”

It’s a strong vote of confidence in Urquidy, who made his MLB debut earlier this season and has appeared in eight games as a big leaguer. Through 35 frames with the Astros, Urquidy has pitched to a 4.63 ERA, although the rest of his numbers are more intriguing. Through six starts and a pair of relief appearances, he’s sporting a terrific 38-to-6 K/BB ratio and has generated a healthy 12.1 percent swinging-strike rate. Urquidy is currently carrying a 3.79 FIP, 3.80 SIERA and 4.18 xFIP, suggesting that his ERA could be a bit over-inflated.

It’s notable, too, that Urquidy has already set a new career-high with 138 innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Given that he’s still likely to pitch another game before Sunday’s regular-season finale and could clearly log some postseason innings, it seems likely that he’ll be free of any workload restrictions next year.

Looking ahead to the 2020 rotation, if Urquidy is indeed penciled into that mix, he’ll join veteran workhorses Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke as well as a returning McCullers (assuming no hiccups in his rehab). Other options within the organization include left-hander Framber Valdez, right-hander Rogelio Armenteros and top prospect Forrest Whitley, though Whitley may require some further minor league time after injuries limited him to 55 1/3 innings in 2019. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez, acquired at the trade deadline, would surely have been a favorite for a starting job next year had he not recently undergone shoulder surgery. That operation has not only clouded his availability for Opening Day 2020 but may lead to him being non-tendered.

Earmarking a starting spot for Urquidy, ostensibly, would leave the Astros with only one vacancy in their rotation this winter. Trade scenarios that arise and/or free-agent prices could potentially impact any tentative alignments being currently contemplated by the organization, but Urquidy seems to have put himself in a strong position heading into 2020.

Astros Designate AJ Reed For Assignment

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The Astros have designated minor league first baseman AJ Reed for assignment in order to open a 40-man roster spot for right-hander Jose Urquidy, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via Jake Kaplan of The Athletic).

Reed, 26, once rated among the game’s top 20 prospects, per Baseball America, but simply hasn’t panned out as the organization hoped. He’s hit just .153/.253/.244 and punched out 50 times in 150 Major League plate appearances, and while he has solid overall numbers in Triple-A, this year’s .224/.329/.469 line has been underwhelming. Reed’s strikeout rate has jumped 23.7 percent in 2018 to 29.8 percent in 2019, but he’s still walking at the same strong 12 percent clip he’s managed in each of his three prior seasons in Triple-A.

Houston will have a week to trade Reed or attempt to pass him through outright waivers, although given his former prospect pedigree, it seems likely that he’d be claimed. A team like the Tigers, Royals, White Sox, Marlins, Mariners or Blue Jays would have little to lose by picking up Reed and giving him a look in the Majors down the stretch in 2019. The Orioles are stuck with Chris Davis’ contract at first base but could still give Reed a look between first and the DH slot; general manager Mike Elias was Houston’s scouting director when Reed was taken in the second round of the 2014 draft.

Reed is in his final option year, so beginning in 2020, he won’t be able to be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. But for the time being, any team that does pick him up would be able to freely send him back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors.

Astros To Select Jose Urquidy

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The Astros will select the contract of right-hander Jose Urquidy, who’ll be called up to start for them tomorrow, president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow announced to reporters Monday (Twitter link via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). His promotion will require a 40-man roster move, but Houston won’t announce that transaction until tomorrow.

Urquidy, 24, wasn’t considered to be among Houston’s top tier of prospects heading into the season but has elevated his status with a solid showing in his first career action at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels. The righty missed the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery but returned to pitch 57 1/3 innings of 2.35 ERA ball in Class-A last season. This year, he’s posted a combined 3.40 ERA with 12.2 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 0.94 HR/9. Urquidy is more of a fly-ball pitcher, so drawing his first MLB assignment at Coors Field isn’t necessarily ideal, but he’s been incredibly stingy with the long ball throughout his minor league career (20 homers in 297 innings).

Urquidy ranks 29th among Houston farmhands at MLB.com. Their scouting report pegs his fastball in the low 90s and topping out at 95 mph while praising a plus changeup and noting that his curveball needs some refinement. He’d have been Rule 5 eligible this offseason anyhow, so he was likely to be added to the 40-man roster one way or another between now and December. The ’Stros don’t have an obvious 60-day IL candidate at the MLB level to open a 40-man roster spot for Urquidy. The team has been carrying a pair of out-of-options players in Tyler White and Tony Kemp, and Houston also saw 40-man right-hander Dean Deetz struggle in Triple-A this year before going down with an injury in late May.

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