Mound work is next for Urquidy
Astros righthander José Urquidy said on Tuesday that he incorporated changeups into his rehab throwing program for the first time and estimated he could get on the mound to throw a bullpen session within the next week.
It’s been a little over a month since Urquidy went on the injured list on May 1 with what the Astros described as right shoulder discomfort.
So far, Urquidy has worked back up to throwing fastballs and changeups on flat ground at a distance of 105 feet.
“No problems,” Urquidy said. “Everything is feeling good. Little by little.”
In his absence, the Astros temporarily expanded to a six-man rotation but reverted back to the standard five starters over the weekend in Cleveland, when Ronel Blanco was moved to the bullpen.
Astros manager Dusty Baker said that the team could go back to a six-man rotation later in the season. But if Urquidy returns while Houston is in a five-man setup, one starter will be on the outs — presumably either J.P. France or Brandon Bielak, who joined the bigleague rotation in early May after Urquidy and Luis Garcia were injured.
That decision is likely still a ways off, however, as Urquidy will require multiple bullpen sessions and minor-league rehab outings before he can rejoin the Astros.
No timeline yet for Alvarez’s return
Outfielder/ designated hitter Yordan Alvarez missed his fourth consecutive game on Tuesday, with Baker saying Alvarez was “still sore” from his oblique injury and likely would be out for a few days.
The Astros placed Alvarez on the 10-day injured list on Friday with discomfort in his right oblique muscle. The Cuban slugger said he felt something wrong a day earlier during his swings before and during the Astros’ game in Toronto, which he exited after one at-bat.
Alvarez did not go with the team to Cleveland for the final leg of the road trip and instead flew back to Houston to get evaluated by doctors.
Before Tuesday’s series opener against the Nationals at Minute Maid Park, Baker said he did not know whether Alvarez had undergone an MRI and had no other meaningful update on Alvarez’s condition.
The earliest Alvarez is eligible to come off the injured list is June 19. The 2022 All-Star leads the team with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs this season.
Odds and ends
Baker said the team will issue an update Wednesday on injured starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., who underwent an MRI on his right forearm in Houston late last week. … Shortstop Jeremy Peña, who missed Sunday’s game in Cleveland with an illness, was out of the lineup again on Tuesday against the Nationals as a precaution, Baker said. Peña fielded grounders and took batting practice on the field pregame.