Houston Astros star pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery Thursday

It’s been a tough year for the Houston Astros.

Not only have they been one of, if not the most disappointing team to start the season, but they will now be dealing with injury issues for the remainder of this campaign.

Pitching issues have been the main topic of conversation around the Astros this year as Justin Verlander and Jose Urquirdy were placed on the injured list during spring training. Framber Valdez and Crisitan Javier soon followed them with their own stints on the IL.

However, once Verlander and Valdez returned to their rotation, the hope was that they would be able to put those injury issues behind them and not have to rely on some of their young arms that have struggled to start 2024.

Urquidy appeared poised to return, having endured three rehab starts in the minors before being pulled from his fourth scheduled outing to travel and get a second opinion on the injury that kept him sidelined all this time. year.

He is now expected to undergo Tommy John surgery at some point, effectively ending his 2024 season.

This is certainly a blow for Houston, as it takes one of their expected rotation arms out of the mix, but they received even worse news on Tuesday.

According to Chandler Rome of Athleticism, sources tell him that Cristian Javier will undergo Tommy John surgery on Thursday.

He hit the IL for the second time on May 27 with right forearm discomfort. After getting advice from surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, it was recommended that he undergo reconstructive surgery.

Javier is now expected to be out for 12 to 14 months.