Baez to miss start of season; Scrubb hurt
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — There is “not much of a chance” reliever Pedro Baez will be ready for opening day, manager Dusty Baker said Friday, opening a battle for a spot in the Astros’ bullpen.
Baez contracted COVID-19 earlier this month and missed 11 days of workouts. He returned to camp on Wednesday, but Baker said the veteran reliever is nowhere near ready to throw off a mound.
Baker revealed that Baez entered camp behind the other relievers even before he tested positive for the virus. Baez’s deep postseason run with the World Series-winning Dodgers last year gave him a shorter winter than most players, too, Baker said Friday.
“This could help him and us in the long run to be strong down the stretch,” Baker said.
Baez’s absence leaves six spots in the opening day bullpen all but solidified by Ryan Pressly, Joe Smith, Enoli Paredes, Brooks Raley, Ryne Stanek and Blake Taylor. COVID-19 contact tracing cost Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia a week of camp, too, meaning they won’t be built up as traditional starters when the regular season starts.
Javier’s and Garcia’s setbacks likely will necessitate a long man who can throw multi-inning stints in Houston’s opening day bullpen. Bryan Abreu and Brandon Bielak are the two righthanders primed to contend for that spot.
For the other, the competition appears to be between Andre Scrubb and nonroster invitee Steve Cishek. Cishek, who will receive $2.25 million if he makes the roster, is unblemished in Grapefruit League play since a disastrous debut. After allowing back-to-back-to-back home runs on March 1, the veteran sidearmer has nine strikeouts in his last 42⁄3innings of scoreless ball.
Scrubb, meanwhile, has six strikeouts and one walk in three scoreless Grapefruit League frames. He left the Astros’ Grapefruit League game against the Nationals on Friday with right shoulder soreness.
Scrubb faced six batters before his premature exit.
Scrubb cemented himself as a crucial part of Baker’s 2020 bullpen. He led Astros relievers with 232⁄3 innings pitched, striking out 24 with a 1.90 ERA.
Valdez’s finger healing quickly
Framber Valdez returned to the Astros’ spring training facility on Thursday sporting some superhuman qualities.
“He’s healing like the Predator,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He got some good blood. He’s a different cat, man. He said through a lot of prayer, his mom’s has been praying for him.
“Half of healing is believing, I’m convinced of that from my past experiences. He’s doing short of a miracle, actually, to be where he is now.”
A second opinion on Valdez’s fractured left ring
finger from Los Angelesbased hand specialist Dr. Steven Shin showed “significant healing,” meaning Valdez will not require surgery. The Astros did not offer a timetable for Valdez’s return.
Baker said Valdez must quarantine upon his return to Florida after taking a commercial flight back. Hope is that Valdez will be cleared by Sunday to resume conditioning at the Astros’ complex while visiting a hand specialist “almost daily.” Baker said Valdez’s finger is not swollen, but it still must heal.
Valdez fractured the finger during a start on March 2 but threw 19 pitches after the injury occurred. It is not known when Valdez could resume throwing a baseball, but with less than two weeks until opening day, it’s almost impossible he will impact the Astros at the beginning of the season.
Pettis may return by early summer
Third-base coach Gary Pettis will not join the Astros for opening day as he recovers from multiple myeloma, but the team hopes he can resume his duties by “early summer.”
Pettis is not in spring training with the club, but his absence is “not related to the physical progress of his recovery,” according to the team. Pettis, 62, revealed his cancer diagnosis last September and is receiving treatment near his California home.
Manager Dusty Baker said Friday that Pettis is starting a “new procedure” and undergoing further tests that will prevent him from joining the team.
“He checks in every day, and he’s still in charge of baserunning,” Baker said. “He’s been Zooming with some of our coaches and players and in charge of the outfield. He’s very much active, and we very much miss him. And he misses us.”
In Pettis’ absence, Omar Lopez will move from coaching first base to third and quality control coach Dan Firova will take Lopez’s place at first.