Valdez receives positive news on finger
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Framber Valdez’s fractured left ring finger has shown “significant healing,” and surgery has not been recommended, the Astros announced Wednesday night, offering hope Valdez might pitch at some point in 2021.
Silent for 15 days since the injury occurred in Port St. Lucie, the Astros revealed that Valdez sought a second opinion from Los Angeles-based hand specialist Dr. Steven Shin. New images revealed the “significant healing,” but the Astros offered no timetable for Valdez’s return to play.
Valdez will return to the Astros’ complex in West Palm Beach to continue his rehab. Given the 15-day layoff and uncertainty when — or if — he’ll resume throwing, it’s almost impossible Valdez will impact the Astros at the beginning of the regular season.
The blossoming 27-yearold southpaw sustained the fracture March 2, after which the Astros went silent on his status. They signed free-agent starter Jake Odorizzi to a twoyear contract in the meantime, but general manager James Click and manager Dusty Baker claimed it was not in reaction to Valdez’s injury. One report from MLB Network insider Jon Heyman suggested Valdez would miss the season.
“It’s very good,” Baker said after the Astros' 4-4 tie against the Cardinals. “This was something that we had hoped for and everybody prayed for. He’s a miraculous young man. He thought that it would heal and it would be back sooner rather than later. That’s the power of positive thinking. That’s great, great news.”
The Astros entered spring expecting a seasonlong workload from Valdez, a stout Dominican lefthander with one of the organization’s most durable and resilient arms. Valdez has never thrown more than 140 innings in a professional season, but his attributes gave the Astros hope he could approach 180-200 frames in the 162-game season.
Baker allowed Valdez to throw at least 100 pitches in six of his 11 starts last season. Valdez finished the year with a 3.57 ERA in 702⁄3 innings, dramatically improving the inconsistent command that plagued him throughout his professional career. He walked just two batters per nine innings last season after yielding 5.7 per nine in his first two major league seasons.
By the playoffs, Valdez was the Astros’ unquestioned ace. He drew the start in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, throwing six innings of two-run ball. He spun six spectacular innings in Game 6, too, putting the Astros within one win of an American League pennant.
Verlander begins to throw again
Justin Verlander resumed throwing Wednesday, five months after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Verlander celebrated the occasion with a social media video touting his “ceremonial first pitch.”
The 38-year-old righthander had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow Sept. 30. Pitchers who receive Tommy John usually require a recovery period of 12 to 14 months.
Verlander threw from flat ground Wednesday in what appeared to be a game of light catch — the first step in a long journey back from major surgery.
Manager Dusty Baker said he had a nice, lighthearted conversation with Verlander earlier this week. Baker said Verlander is training at Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach.
“He told me he was going to start throwing, which he has,” Baker said. “That’s good news. He’s got a long ways to go, but at least he’s on the way.”
General manager James Click did not rule out the possibility Verlander could return at the end of this season, but it is still viewed as a long shot. Verlander is in the final season of a two-year, $66 million extension he signed in March 2018 and will be eligible for free agency when the 2021 season concludes.
Whitley has arm surgery
Top Astros pitching prospect Forrest Whitley underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, actualizing the long-held fears of many within the organization.
Whitley, the 17th overall pick in the 2016 draft, sprained his ulnar collateral ligament during a live batting practice session earlier this month. Tommy John surgery was recommended but not performed until this week in Arlington. Dr. Keith Meister, the Texas Rangers’ team physician, performed the operation, according to the Astros.
Whitley faces a 12-14 month recovery, further delaying the long-awaited debut of the prized prospect. He’s thrown just 86 innings of affiliated baseball since 2017. In a bestcase scenario, Whitley will return at some point in the middle of the 2022 season when he is 24 years old.
Once considered baseball’s top pitching prospect, Whitley has thrown just 86 innings of affiliated baseball since 2017. He was suspended for the first 50 games of that season after testing positive for a drug of abuse. He has never rebounded to find any form of rhythm.
Setback causes absence of James
Injured Astros reliever Josh James suffered a “physical setback” while reporting to spring training, manager Dusty Baker revealed Wednesday.
Baker did not offer any specifics about James’ setback but said the 28year-old reliever will be fine “in a few days.” James still must undergo COVID-19 intake testing and screening before he can join the Astros’ workouts.
After undergoing offseason surgery to repair a labral tear in his left hip, James will not be ready for the start of the regular season. The Astros offered a six- to eight-month timetable for his recovery at the time of his surgery last October. Earlier this spring, Baker said James is not a candidate to go on the 60-day injured list, offering optimism the righthander could be ready by late April or early May.
James had a 7.27 ERA in 13 appearances last season. He injured his hip during an outing at Colorado on Aug. 20 but managed to pitch most of the season without addressing it.
Odds and ends
Reliever Pedro Baez returned to Astros camp Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. Baez missed 11 days after contracting the virus. …
The lawsuit file by Mike Bolsinger, the pitcher who claimed the Astros’ cheating ruined his career, was dismissed by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Draper, who agreed with the Astros that Texas was the proper jurisdiction for such a lawsuit. Bolsinger said he planned to proceed with his lawsuit in Texas.