Injured Houston Astros ace making significant progress in recovery

The Houston Astros have been dealing with pitching issues all season, but things are finally looking up.

Luis Garcia injured his right elbow last May and underwent Tommy John surgery. He hasn’t played since, but is finally showing signs of improvement on his road to recovery.

Brian McTaggart shared a video of Garcia throwing the mound before Tuesday’s game. He hasn’t faced a batter, but it remains an important next step. He will need some early rehabilitation, so that’s where the attention will turn next.

The 27-year-old’s return was already highly anticipated, but the Astros’ starting rotation having so many early issues makes it even more necessary. The only consistent arm in the rotation this season has been Ronel Blanco and he is currently serving a suspension.

Houston’s starting rotation is currently ranked 26th in ERA, which is bad, but they are 29th in WHIP and FIP. They are dead last in the FIP for the month of May, so it’s not just the difficulties at the start of the season.

Garcia is not someone who should compete for Cy Youngs, but he has been a consistent performer early in his career. Through four seasons, his numbers are 3.61 ERA, 3.79 FIP and 1.13 WHIP.

Considering he hasn’t played a full season since 2022, it won’t be easy to predict what level he’ll be at, but getting back to where he was pre-injury is all this staff needs right now .

Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez are all returning to form after injuries and the inconsistency hasn’t been ideal. The Astros were able to return to the postseason without their aces performing at a high level.

Houston could have avoided the end of its season due to early health issues. Getting back to .500 is now realistic and their team is healthier than ever.