Injured Houston Astros pitcher suffers ‘setback’ in recovery

The Houston Astros have had a tough hand when it comes to their starting pitching unit.

Going into the year, they already knew they would be shorthanded, with Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia still recovering from past surgeries. Then JP France and Justin Verlander were placed on injured reserve during spring training, followed by two more season-ending injuries to Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy.

With Verlander back on the IL after a period of limited activity, they called up one of their star prospects, Jake Bloss, who was also sidelined after his debut.

This has been a big reason why the Astros are fighting an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but after sweeping the Baltimore Orioles, they are now two games under .500 and just four out of last Wild Card spot.

General manager Dana Brown has repeatedly said they won’t be sellers, and their recent winning streak of five in a row and seven of their last 10 certainly helps that cause.

It’s unclear if they’ll be buyers before July 30, but if they want to make the playoffs, they’ll likely have to, as one of their currently injured starting pitchers looks like he won’t return as soon as rumored. initially thought.

According to Chandler Rome Athleticism, France suffered a “slight setback” in his recovery from a shoulder injury that propelled him to the IL minor league after being demoted earlier in the season. They will stop his throwing progress until the pain goes away.

France played a big role in this rotation in 2023, posting a 3.83 ERA in 24 appearances and 23 starts, but after going 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA in five starts this year, Houston l was sent to the minors.

Because of all the injury issues the Astros have had this season, there’s a good chance he would have made his return to the bigs if he had been able to perform well at Triple-A.

It’s unclear how long he’ll stay away.