Urquidy returns after bout of virus
Astros pitcher Jose Urquidy, who will make his season debut Saturday in Anaheim, said Friday that his long absence was because of a positive COVID-19 test and the laborious routine of rebuilding his strength after a 35- to 40-day quarantine alone in his Houston apartment.
Urquidy, 24, the winning pitcher in last year’s World Series Game 4, will be added to the roster in time to pitch the second game of a Saturday doubleheader against the Angels,
manager Dusty Baker said.
The righthander said he tested positive for the coronavirus when he returned to Houston before the Major League Baseball restart and was confined to his apartment as he recovered.
He said he experienced high temperature and pain in his eyes, but that symptoms of the disease were limited.
A more difficult hurdle, he said, was recovering the arm strength he needed to return to the rotation.
“I lost a lot of strength because of the COVID situation, so I started from zero,” he said through an interpreter. “I had to do a lot of stuff to build the strength in my arm to be able to throw the way I want to, so it wasn’t a normal rehab for me.”
Since he was confined to his apartment, he said he was unable to throw during quarantine and that his physical activity was limited to pushups and squats and limited weight training.
Isolation was an issue as well, he added.
“I was totally alone,” he said. “I spent almost 35, 40 days all by myself. The only communication I had was on the telephone, and they brought all meals to me at the apartment.
“It was frustrating for me because I wanted to be with my team from the beginning of the season.”
Once he was cleared to work out at the Astros’ alternate training site in Corpus Christi, he said, “I had to relearn to throw a little bit and start from zero and build up from there. It was a long process.”
Urquidy said he hopes to be able to throw 60 to 70 pitches when he starts in Saturday’s second of two seven-inning games against the Angels.
“I hope to make an impact and to be a big part of this team immediately,” he said. “I know there’s not a ton of games left, and they’re all important for us.”
Baker said the Astros “need Urquidy to be Urquidy” upon his return.
“This guy has nerves of steel, especially for a young pitcher,” he said. “We’re expecting big things from Urquidy, but we’re not going to expect too many pitches or too many innings because he’s still kind of in spring training mode.”
The Astros had not directly addressed Urquidy’s condition aside from a couple of recent comments by Baker that a positive COVID-19 test was the reason for his absence.
“I appreciate all the messages that people sent,” Urquidy said. “I’m feeling ready to, and I appreciate the support while I was in quarantine and people were worried about me.”