McHugh works toward availability
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Astros starter Collin McHugh will pitch Wednesday in his second minor league game, the latest step in a progression the team hopes will have him available for the first rotation of the regular season.
It’s unlikely at this point McHugh will pitch in the Astros’ third game of the season against the Seattle Mariners, but the 29-yearold righthander could build his arm up to a point where he’s ready to go in the fourth game of the season or during the team’s weekend series against the Kansas City Royals.
McHugh should pitch three innings or throw about 45 pitches Wednesday. If he’s able to build up to five innings and 80 pitches before the regular season, the Astros would at least have the option of slotting him in during the season’s first week or pushing his debut to the second week.
McHugh said he felt good after pitching two innings in his first minor league game Friday. He might continue to make his starts on the back fields, where it’s a more controllable environment for the Astros to build up his pitch count.
“I think we’ll know more once he gets to the four-inning mark,” manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday. “Right now he’s just in the two- to threeinning mark. These next couple starts will be important. We’d like no rain. We’d like no hiccups. We don’t have a lot of room for error. But we’ll know more in the next five to 10 days.”
If McHugh isn’t ready for the first rotation of the season, the Astros could simply delay their decision on the No. 5 starter’s competition between Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers. Musgrove makes his next spring start Monday, Fiers on Tuesday.
Dallas Keuchel will make his third and penultimate Grapefruit League start of spring training Wednesday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
Keuchel has yet to allow a run in seven innings this spring. The 29-year-old lefthander and presumed third-time, opening-day starter has allowed four hits and has not issued a walk over his two outings.
Paulino to start season on DL
Pitching prospect David Paulino will begin the Class AAA season on the disabled list because of a bone bruise in his right elbow.
Paulino has been shut down from throwing. Tests on the 23-year-old righthander’s elbow showed no structural damage, according to Astros manager A.J. Hinch.
Paulino reported discomfort in his elbow March 10, a day after pitching three scoreless innings against the Cardinals in Jupiter. Team doctors recommended two weeks of rest before the pitcher begins a throwing program, Hinch said.
Regarded as the sport’s 51st-best prospect by Baseball America, Paulino is expected to contribute to the Astros this season, be it as a starter or reliever. He had a 3.86 ERA in seven Grapefruit League innings before his injury.
Kemp among 3 sent to minors
Second baseman/outfielder Tony Kemp was among three players cut from major league camp Sunday morning.
Kemp, first baseman Jon Singleton and catcher Tyler Heineman were sent to minor league camp ahead of the Astros’ matinee against the New York Yankees at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Forty-four players remain in big league camp.
Kemp, who will begin the season in Class AAA but could serve as a versatile lefthanded-hitting option for the Astros at some point during the season, batted .286 (10-for-35) with two doubles over 17 Grapefruit League games. The team has had him take most of his reps at second base this spring.
Singleton batted .190 (4-for-21) with zero extrabase hits in his first spring since being removed from the 40-man roster. The former top prospect and his $2 million annual salary will be back in Class AAA, but even there he will be hard-pressed to find at-bats behind A.J. Reed, Tyler White and Colin Moran.
Heineman batted .091 (1-for-11). His departure leaves four catchers in camp: Brian McCann, Evan Gattis, Juan Centeno and Max Stassi.
Odds and ends
Tyler White was back in the batting cages Sunday morning a day after getting hit in the right hand by a fastball from Nationals starter Joe Ross. White said X-rays were negative. He was not in the Astros’ lineup Sunday but said he felt he could play. “I’m good,” he said. …
Jose Altuve returned to Florida on Sunday after Team Venezuela’s elimination from the World Baseball Classic early in the weekend. He will re-enter the Astros’ Grapefruit League lineup Monday or Tuesday, manager A.J. Hinch said. …
Preston Tucker is slated for his first at-bats in minor league games this week. He has been slow to get into game action after spending the offseason rehabbing from September shoulder surgery. …
Hordes of Yankees fans traveled to West Palm Beach for Sunday’s game, leading to an announced attendance of 7,721 and the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches’ first sellout. The Yankees stayed in town to play the Nationals on Monday afternoon, the first game of a ballpark doubleheader in which the Astros and Cardinals will play the stadium’s first night contest.