Ex-heights star Whitley may need surgery on arm.
Former Heights star might be facing Tommy John surgery
JUPITER, Fla. — Attrition continues to weaken the Houston Astros’ starting pitching depth, this time jeopardizing the future of a righthander once heralded as the franchise’s next wunderkind.
Top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team revealed Sunday morning. Fear exists within the organization that the former Alamo Heights star might require Tommy John surgery, but the team said its prized 23-year-old righthander is seeking a second opinion before finalizing his treatment
plan.
Whitley was shut down after feeling pain during a live batting practice session earlier this week, the team said. Earlier this week, manager Dusty Baker said Whitley was experiencing arm soreness, but offered no other details.
Whitley did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. He dealt with a forearm strain during the 2020 season, but proclaimed himself healthy upon arriving to spring training.
“He is in a good mental spot with regards to the news, and sometimes it can be frustrating to have a series of setbacks and not have a specific diagnosis to point to,” general manager James Click said. “But having something specific to point to can sometimes, at least, give you something to work on to try to get yourself back to the form you know you have.”
Forearm strains are often precursors or an early diagnosis for more serious elbow injuries. Based on information he’s gathered from team physicians, Click said Whitley’s latest injury is a “new strain” separate from the one suffered last summer.
“It’s obviously a setback,” Click said. “Based on what we saw out of Forrest last year before the injury last year, you can see the talent that he has.”
Should Whitley undergo Tommy John surgery, it will deal another crippling blow to an already circuitous professional career. Pitchers who undergo the operation often require 12 to 14 months of recovery before pitching again. In a best-case scenario, Whitley would not be in a professional game again until the middle of next season.
The Astros gave Whitley a $3.148 million signing bonus after selecting him with the 17th overall pick in the 2016 draft. Former general manager Jeff Luhnow rou
tinely made the righthander untouchable in trade negotiations during his tenure, adhering to organizational faith that Whitley would flourish into a front of the rotation ace.
Instead, Whitley has thrown only 86 innings in affiliated baseball since 2017, beset by injury, inconsistent command and a drug suspension for the first 50 games of the 2018 season.
Across those three seasons, the Astros were able to absorb Whitley’s inconsistencies and unavailability. Their plethora of pitching depth has since either graduated to the major league level or been part of trades, leaving them dependent on Whitley putting his wayward career together at some point this spring. Houston added him to its 40-man roster this winter to protect him from selection in the Rule 5 draft.
News of Whitley’s injury, coupled
with Framber Valdez’s fractured ring finger, leaves the team quite thin. Luis Garcia and Brandon Bielak are its two obvious options at the upper minor leagues, but Garcia is sidelined from camp because of health and safety protocols. Whitley’s absence could afford Tyler Ivey, another recent 40man addition, a more prominent look in camp.
Whitley’s troubles began after testing positive for a drug of abuse before the 2018 season. He returned after his suspension to throw 261⁄3 innings at Class AA Corpus Christi before starring in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. The lanky righthander appeared primed for a breakout 2019.
Whitley responded with a 12.21 ERA in 241⁄3 innings with Class AAA Round Rock, forcing the Astros to ship him to their spring training site in West Palm Beach for what they termed a “season reset.” Again, he showed flashes of promise in the Arizona Fall League, striking out 32 and walking nine in 25 innings.
Whitley reported to spring training that February “not ready … physically (to) compete for a position,” according to pitching coach Brent Strom. A hallmark of Whitley’s Houston tenure has been constant changes in his routine, pitching mechanics or offseason regimen. That winter, he worked out less and reported to camp with extra weight in hopes of maintaining durability.
Whitley reported to camp thinner. He hoped to throw between 140 and 160 innings. A year after he watched 10 Astros pitchers make their major league debut, Whitley felt he could include himself in that group this season.
“He came into camp in great shape and he was feeling great and we were hoping for big things for him this year, and I’m sure he was too,” Click said. “We’ll just address this injury, get past it and continue to work on getting on the path to helping us out in the big leagues.”