- Astros outfielder Chas McCormick returns to the lineup after being reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Houston optioned infielder Rylan Bannon to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. McCormick missed just under a month with a back issue. Before the injury, the right-handed hitter had been off to a quality .275/.383/.500 showing in 11 games. He’ll get the nod in center field for tonight’s game in Anaheim, hitting seventh against Angels starter Patrick Sandoval. Houston has yet to activate Michael Brantley for his season debut, though manager Dusty Baker reiterated tonight that the veteran left fielder isn’t far off (via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).
Astros Rumors
Astros Notes: Brantley, McCormick, Altuve, Urquidy
The Astros are expected to get lineup reinforcements during their upcoming series in Anaheim, as outfielders Michael Brantley and Chas McCormick could both be back as early as Monday, according to MLB.com. While the pair were on the shelf, the club has relied on Jake Meyers and Corey Julks to fill in alongside Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez in Houston’s outfield mix. Meyers has been a solid stopgap option with a 104 wRC+ in 93 trips to the plate and excellent defense in center field, but Julks has struggled to an 80 wRC+ with a 27.6% strikeout rate in 87 plate appearances.
Of course, Brantley also did some work at first base during his rehab stint, so the Astros could be looking at the veteran as a possible complement to the struggling Jose Abreu. Brantley (who turns 36 next week) hasn’t played since June 26 due to shoulder problems that eventually required surgery in August, and thus Brantley missed out on the Astros’ World Series run.
Houston general manager Dana Brown discussed several injury situations during a radio interview on SportsTalk 790 (hat tip to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart), and noted that “McCormick is maybe a day ahead of” Brantley, so McCormick is the surer bet to be activated from the injured list during the Angels series. While McCormick doesn’t have Brantley’s lengthy track record of offense, he was off to a phenomenal start this season prior to being sidelined by a back injury, with a .275/.383/.500 slash line in 11 games.
Jose Altuve continues to make excellent progress in his recovery from thumb surgery, as the eight-time All-Star has progressed to both taking batting practice on the field and running the bases. After Altuve underwent his surgery in late March, it was initially expected to take at least eight weeks before the second baseman could even resume baseball activities, so he is already a few weeks ahead of schedule. Brown said that Altuve might even begin a minor league rehab assignment within the week, so that original late-May date might now be a more feasible target for Altuve’s return to the Astros lineup altogether.
The news isn’t as good about Jose Urquidy, as Brown said (Twitter links from McTaggart) “there’s a chance we could get him back somewhere around the All-Star break.” This represents a step back from some seemingly more positive reports from earlier this week, which suggested that Urquidy would be shut down from throwing until mid-May but could potentially return by early June. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL on May 1 with shoulder discomfort, though Urquidy has apparently avoided any structural damage since an MRI only revealed inflammation.
Still, Brown’s comments indicate a much longer absence is in store for Urquidy, as even the All-Star break might be more of a fluid target date than a firm timeline. It hasn’t been a banner week for Astros pitching, as Urquidy went to the IL and Luis Garcia was lost for the season entirely due to Tommy John surgery. With a rotation now thinned out, Brown noted that the Astros may have to rely on internal arms for now, given that the starting pitching market won’t really materialize until much closer to the trade deadline.
Brandon Bielak and rookie J.P. France have filled in for Urquidy and Garcia, joining Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and rookie Hunter Brown in the starting five. Lance McCullers Jr. is also still a ways away from returning, though he did throw a full bullpen session on Saturday. McCullers has yet to pitch this season after suffering a muscle strain in his right arm during Spring Training.
Astros Promote J.P. France
TODAY: France was officially called up, with the Astros sending right-hander Ronel Blanco to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
MAY 5: The Astros are calling up right-hander J.P. France, reports Mark Berman of Fox 26. He is expected to start Saturday’s game against the Mariners, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, which will be his major league debut. He’s on the 40-man roster but will require a corresponding move to get him on the active roster.
Now 28, France was selected by the Astros in the 14th round of the 2018 draft and signed for a $1K bonus. He’s since outperformed that modest draft position with some strong work as a swingman in the minors. In 2021, he split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, throwing 114 innings over 18 starts and seven relief appearances. He posted a 3.79 ERA with a strong 32.2% strikeout rate but a 10.7% walk rate. Last year, he was back in the swing role but exclusively in Triple-A. He made 15 starts and 19 relief appearances, posting a 3.90 ERA in 110 2/3 innings. He struck out 28.3% of batters faced but walked 10.6% of them.
He would have been eligible to be selected in the most recent Rule 5 draft, but the Astros added him to their roster in November to ensure that didn’t happen. Baseball America then put him on their list of top 30 prospects in the organization for the first time, giving him the #21 slot coming into this year. Their report notes that he doesn’t have overpowering stuff but relies on unpredictability, willing to throw any of his five pitches at any time to keep hitters off balance.
He’s been back in Triple-A to start this year, with three starts and a couple relief appearances. The walks are still an issue, coming in at a 14.3% clip so far this year, but he’s also struck out 33.8% of opponents and gotten grounders on 53.8% of balls in play for a 2.33 ERA.
The Astros came into the year with a strong rotation, even while allowing Justin Verlander to depart for the Mets. The on-paper group would have been Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and José Urquidy. Unfortunately, McCullers was shut down in spring with arm soreness and still doesn’t seem close to a return, not having begun a rehab assignment yet. That pushed the top depth starter, Hunter Brown, into the rotation to start the year. More recently, the club saw both Garcia and Urquidy hit the injured list in the past week, further depleting the rotation.
The timelines on those recent injuries are still a little murky but the club will have to proceed for at least a couple weeks with just Valdez, Javier and Brown remaining from their season opening rotation. France will come up and make at least one start to help out. Brandon Bielak is also with the club and threw 75 pitches of long relief on Monday, perhaps allowing him to factor in at some point. Forrest Whitley and Shawn Dubin are also on the 40-man and could be options as well.
Astros’ Luis Garcia To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Astros starter Luis Garcia will undergo Tommy John surgery, the club informed reporters (including Chandler Rome of the Athletic). He’ll miss the rest of the season and quite likely a good chunk of the 2024 campaign as well.
It’s a brutal blow to the defending World Series champions. Garcia has been a pivotal member of the starting staff. After a brief debut during the abbreviated season, Garcia secured a rotation spot in 2021. The Venezuelan-born hurler started 28 games in each of the next couple years, tossing between 155 and 160 innings. He allowed fewer than four earned runs per nine with better than average strikeout and walk rates during each year.
The 26-year-old had been off to a similar start in 2023. Through six starts, he tallied 27 frames of 4.00 ERA ball. Garcia had punched out 27% of batters faced against a serviceable 8.7% walk rate. For his career, he’s now up to 352 innings with a 3.61 ERA while fanning a little more than a quarter of opponents.
Unfortunately, Garcia departed Monday’s start in the first inning with elbow discomfort. He’d thrown just eight pitches and was working with diminished velocity before his early exit. The Astros sent him for an MRI that apparently revealed damage to the UCL in his throwing elbow.
Houston is also without José Urquidy and Lance McCullers Jr. at the moment. Urquidy is dealing with shoulder inflammation and midway through a 10-day shutdown period. McCullers is building back from a muscle strain in his throwing arm. Garcia’s injury is even more serious and leaves the club with a top-heavy starting staff. Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and rookie Hunter Brown make for an excellent top three. The final two spots have been thrown in flux. Brandon Bielak is moving into the starting staff, while 28-year-old J.P. France is coming up for his major league debut tomorrow.
Bolstering the rotation midseason could well be a priority for general manager Dana Brown and his front office. Houston has started the season with a pedestrian 16-15 record. They’re still within 2 1/2 games of the division-leading Rangers and it’d be a surprise if the Astros weren’t in position to add to the MLB roster midseason. Notable external solutions aren’t likely to be available for over a month, though, leaving Houston to rely upon a group of mostly inexperienced depth starters from the upper minors.
Garcia is already on the 15-day injured list. He’ll be transferred to the 60-day IL whenever the club needs to free a spot on the 40-man roster. He can remain on the IL for the rest of the season but will need to be reinstated onto the 40-man over the winter. Garcia will collect service time for his rehab time, pushing him past the three-year mark by the end of the season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time next offseason and isn’t ticketed for free agency until the 2026-27 offseason.
Astros Acquire Nick Allgeyer From Phillies
The Astros acquired minor league lefty Nick Allgeyer from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations this afternoon, as reflected on the MLB.com transaction tracker. He’ll report to Houston’s top affiliate in Sugar Land.
Initially selected by the Blue Jays in the 12th round of the 2018 draft, Allgeyer pitched his way to the upper levels of the Toronto system. He earned a cup of coffee at the big league level in 2021, tossing one inning of scoreless relief. The Jays ran him through outright waivers quickly thereafter, however, and he hasn’t made it back to the majors since that point.
For the past two-plus years, the University of Iowa product has mostly pitched in Triple-A. He’s worked in a swing role, starting 36 of 61 appearances. Over 202 1/3 Triple-A frames, Allgeyer carries a 5.34 ERA with a slightly below-average 20.9% strikeout rate and an elevated 11% walk percentage. Allgeyer started four games with the Phils’ top affiliate after signing a minor league contract over the winter. He’s struck out 15 and walked six in 12 innings of six-run ball while keeping the ball on the ground at a solid 48.3% clip.
Allgeyer adds some upper level rotation help to an organization whose starting pitching depth is being tested. Luis Garcia, José Urquidy and Lance McCullers Jr. are all on the injured list. Garcia is done for the year after today’s announcement that he’ll undergo Tommy John surgery. That has pushed Brandon Bielak and J.P. France to the MLB rotation, while some of Houston’s other depth starters are battling injuries of their own.
Righty Shawn Dubin was placed on the minor league injured list today. Former top prospect Forrest Whitley is dealing with minor soreness near his throwing shoulder and will take a day or two off throwing, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link). Both Dubin and Whitley are on the 40-man roster, though neither has yet pitched in the majors.
Robinson Chirinos Announces Retirement
Veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos announced on Twitter today that he is retiring from professional baseball. “With a happy, yet heavy heart, I am announcing my retirement from professional baseball,” the statement reads. “After much contemplation and reflection, I have decided to close this chapter of my life. It has not been an easy decision, but I feel that it is the right one for me as I have given my heart and soul to this sport over so many years.” He then goes on to thank his family members, teammates, coaches, fans, team staff and many others who he crossed paths with over the years.
Chirinos, now 38 years old, originally signed with the Cubs as an amateur out of Venezuela back in 2000, shortly after his 16th birthday. An infielder at that time, he would toil away in the Cubs’ minor league system for a decade, starting his move to the catcher position in 2008. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster after 2010 but was traded to the Rays a few months later, going alongside Chris Archer and others as the Cubs acquired Matt Garza.
It was in that 2011 season that Chirinos was able to make his major league debut, getting into 20 games, but he had to miss the entire 2012 campaign due to a concussion. He was traded to the Rangers in April of 2013 for a player to be named later and would eventually spend six years with that club. His role was initially limited but gradually grew over time as he provided some pop behind the plate. From 2013 to 2018, he hit 67 home runs in 442 games, slashing .233/.325/.443 during that time for a wRC+ of 104. That coincided with a good stretch for the club as well, as Chirinos was able to get into four postseason games with the Rangers between 2015 and 2016.
He reached free agency for the first time after 2018 and he eventually signed with the Astros for one year and $5.75MM. He had a nice season in Houston, launching 17 home runs and hitting .238/.347/.443 for a wRC+ of 112. He would get into 14 more postseason games that year as the Astros went to the World Series, ultimately falling to the Nationals in seven games.
He would go into journeyman mode for the next few years. He returned to the Rangers for 2020 on a one-year, $6.75MM deal but ultimately hit just .162/.232/.243 in the shortened season, which included a trade to the Mets. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees for 2021 but fractured his wrist after being hit by a pitch in Spring Training. He was released and eventually got into 45 games for the Cubs after returning to health, then got into another 67 contests with the Orioles last year.
All told, it was an unusual career for Chirinos, who seemed to do everything a little later than normal. He didn’t start playing his primary position until his mid-20s, then didn’t make it to the majors until his age-27 season and didn’t really become a regular until he was 30. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference consider his best season by wins above replacement to be 2019, his age-35 campaign.
Despite that delayed trajectory, he still managed to get into 714 major league games and make 2,457 plate appearances. He tallied 480 hits, including 95 home runs, scoring 275 times and driving in 306. MLBTR congratulates Chirinos on a fine career and wishes him the best in the next stages of his life.
Astros Notes: Garcia, Urquidy, Altuve, Diaz
The Astros formally placed righty Luis Garcia on the 15-day injured list yesterday, as was expected after he departed his most recent start due to elbow discomfort and underwent an MRI. Lefty Matt Gage is up from Triple-A in his place. Manager Dusty Baker told reporters prior to yesterday’s game that Garcia is getting a second opinion on the MRI but declined to go into any further specifics (Twitter link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Additional information on the right-hander should be available as soon as this weekend, per the team’s skipper.
Garcia, 26, threw just eight pitches before exiting his most recent start. His fastball was clocked at an average of 91.7 mph — a good bit south of his 93 mph average in five prior starts this season and even further off the 94.1 mph he averaged in 2022. In those prior starts with the ’Stros this year, he’d pitched to a 4.00 ERA with a strong 27% strikeout rate against an 8.7% walk rate. His fourth and fifth starts were particularly impressive, as Garcia rattled off 13 scoreless innings with a 16-to-3 K/BB ratio in victories over the Blue Jays and Rays.
For now, the Astros can expect to be without Garcia for at least two weeks, but the MRI, second opinion and current lack of details will understandably make some Houston fans rather uneasy. News on fellow right-hander Jose Urquidy is at least a bit more promising. He’ll be shut down from throwing for the next 10 days, tweets Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, but an MRI revealed only inflammation near Urquidy’s shoulder and armpit. The right-hander himself doesn’t believe the injury to be particularly serious, McTaggart adds, so a return later this month seems plausible.
That’d be welcome news for an Astros club that now has Garcia, Urquidy and Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day injured list. At present, the only healthy starters on Houston’s big league roster are Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and rookie Hunter Brown. Long reliever Brandon Bielak could be an option to start, and the club also has right-handers Forrest Whitley, Shawn Dubin and J.P. France on the 40-man roster down in Triple-A.
There’s some brighter news with regard to Jose Altuve, who met with reporters today and revealed that he’s fielded ground-balls on each of the past two days (video link via McTaggart). Altuve, who underwent surgery to repair a fractured thumb sustained during the World Baseball Classic, isn’t yet swinging a bat and won’t have a clear timetable on a potential return until he’s able to do so. Fielding grounders is still a notable step in the All-Star second baseman’s return, as that marks the first baseball activity in which he’s participated since the surgery. Altuve raved about Mauricio Dubon’s play in his absence but emphasized that he’s anxious to get back on the field as soon as possible.
Dubon isn’t the only (relative) newcomer who’s contributed in the first month of the season. Catcher Yainer Diaz hasn’t played all that frequently, with Martin Maldonado still receiving the lion’s share of playing time — but Diaz has impressed when on the field. He’s turned in a .258/.306/.355 batting line in 36 plate appearances and, much more impressively, thrown out five of ten runners who’ve attempted to steal against him.
Diaz’s play thus far has already caught the attention of first-year Astros general manager Dana Brown, who said in an appearance with Sean Salisbury on SportsTalk 790 AM that he increasingly looks like a long-term piece of the puzzle in Houston.
“Looking like he’s going to be the future for us behind the plate,” Brown said when asked for his early impressions of Diaz this season. “…He’s learning a lot under the tutelage of [Maldonado]. I’m sure at some point he’ll be mixed into the lineup a little bit more, but he’s coming along nicely. He threw those two guys out [yesterday] — bullets down to second base. That was very encouraging. He’s a bright light for us, no doubt.”
Maldonado, 36, is signed through the current season and is highly regarded by Baker and the team’s coaching staff for his defensive prowess, work with pitchers and general game-calling/game-planning abilities, but he’s also hitting just .162/.250/.235 in 77 plate appearances. An eventual uptick in at-bats for Diaz could serve as a soft audition for the starting role in 2024 and beyond, although the organization has made its fondness for Maldonado quite clear, so it’s always possible he ends up signing back for another season. Regardless, Diaz seems to be earning a role on the club and, as evidenced by his status as one of the game’s top 100 prospects at both Baseball America (No. 75) and FanGraphs (No. 80), there are quite a few in the industry who believe he’s capable of eventually emerging as Houston’s starting catcher.
Jose Abreu’s Slow Start In Houston
The Astros didn’t make many outside additions over the winter. They were content to generally run things back with last year’s World Series roster minus Justin Verlander and deadline rentals Christian Vázquez and Trey Mancini. The only significant upgrade the Astros successfully pursued was at first base. They allowed Yuli Gurriel to depart and signed longtime White Sox slugger José Abreu to a three-year, $58.5MM deal.
Going to three years at a premium average annual value was not without risk. Abreu is 36 years old and offers limited defensive value. It was a bet on the bat, though it’s easy to see why Houston targeted the former AL MVP as a lineup upgrade. Abreu had hit .289/.366/.489 over the three seasons leading up to free agency. That included a .304/.378/.446 platform showing. He still looked like an impact hitter last November.
One can’t draw definitive conclusions on a move one month into a three-year contract. Yet it’s hard to envision Abreu getting off to a much worse start to his Houston tenure. Entering play Tuesday, the three-time All-Star owns a .235/.266/.269 batting line over 124 trips to the plate. He’s managed only four doubles and zero home runs. Out of 181 qualified hitters, he’s 170th in on-base percentage and 177th in slugging. This April was only the second month in Abreu’s career (July ’16 being the other) in which he played 20+ games and didn’t connect on a single homer.
The drop isn’t power isn’t a completely new development. Last year’s 15 homers and .446 slugging mark each represented the lowest figures of Abreu’s career. He was still a very productive hitter but the offensive profile was more driven by singles and doubles than by home runs.
Last year’s relative power drop was primarily a result of a dip in the frequency with which Abreu got the ball in the air. His hard contact rate was strong as ever, but he’d negated some of its impact by hitting a few more grounders than he had previously. That’s not the case this season. Abreu just isn’t hitting the ball with any kind of authority right now. His 35.9% hard contact rate is down dramatically from last year’s 51.7% figure. He has lost five MPH on his average exit velocity (down from an excellent 92.2 MPH to a pedestrian 87.2 MPH).
Abreu is more frequently chasing pitches outside the strike zone. While he’s never been an especially patient hitter, this year’s 41.2% swing rate on pitches outside the zone and 3.2% walk percentage would be the worst marks of his career. He’s doing a decent job putting balls in play but without any kind of impact.
It’s coincidentally a similar approach to the player whom Abreu replaced in Houston. Gurriel has been an elite hitter at times in his career, including when he secured the 2021 AL batting title. His final season in Houston wasn’t particularly effective, though, as he posted just a .242/.288/.360 line with eight homers and a 5.1% walk rate in 546 plate appearances. Gurriel had a good postseason but the Astros nevertheless let him depart to the Marlins on a minor league contract over the winter in recognition of the middling power and dearth of walks. (Gurriel made Miami’s Opening Day roster and is off to a .306/.358/.449 start through 14 games in a part-time role.)
It’s far too early to write Abreu off. He’s been such an accomplished hitter throughout his career that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he finds his stride over the coming weeks. The Astros have little choice but to count on him to figure things out for now. It’s too soon for any team to make meaningful trades. Houston wouldn’t look to upgrade over their top offseason signee after one bad month anyhow. It could raise an unexpected question mark for the club if Abreu is still floundering in six weeks, particularly since the lineup around him hasn’t picked up a ton of the slack.
The defending champions are tied for 12th in runs, 15th in OBP, and 22nd in slugging as a team. That’s in large part because of Abreu, although they’ve also predictably gotten no offense from their catchers and have been without Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley all season. Mauricio Dubón has stepped up in Altuve’s absence but certainly doesn’t offer the kind of power potential of Houston’s star second baseman.
Altuve seems likely to miss another month as recovers from his late-spring thumb fracture. Houston’s rotation has also taken some injury hits over the past couple days. They’re certainly not in dire straits — they enter play with a 16-13 record and are only a game and a half behind their in-state rivals in the AL West — but they’ll need more out of Abreu to help weather some of their poor health luck thus far.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Astros’ Luis Garcia Headed For MRI With Elbow Soreness
Astros righty Luis Garcia departed tonight’s win over the Giants after just eight pitches. The club later announced he was dealing with soreness in his throwing elbow.
After the game, manager Dusty Baker told the team’s beat that Garcia was headed for an MRI (via Mark Berman of Fox 26). The skipper called the removal precautionary, though it’s still cause for some concern until the imaging results come back. Garcia met with the media as well, explaining that while he didn’t hear a pop in the elbow, he experienced enough pain he wouldn’t have been able to continue pitching (video provided by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).
Even if Garcia is able to avoid anything especially serious, any kind of absence comes at an inopportune time for Houston. The Astros just lost José Urquidy to the injured list this afternoon. He’d left yesterday’s outing with shoulder discomfort and seems to be in for a notable stint on the shelf. Baker told reporters tonight that Urquidy’s MRI revealed inflammation and necessitates a complete shutdown from throwing for an unannounced period of time (via Chandler Rome of the Athletic). Baker said only that Urquidy would be out “for a while.”
Garcia is arguably even more integral to Houston’s staff. The 26-year-old has allowed an even four earned runs per nine over 27 innings this season. He’s fanned 27% of opposing hitters against an 8.7% walk rate. Garcia started 28 games in each of the previous two seasons, tallying 155+ frames with an upper-3.00s ERA in both.
With Urquidy and Lance McCullers Jr. out and Garcia’s status now up in the air, Houston is down to Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown as rotation locks. The Astros recalled Brandon Bielak from Triple-A Sugar Land to take Urquidy’s roster spot. He filled in with 75 pitches over four innings in unexpected relief of Garcia today and could step into a rotation role over the longer haul.
J.P. France and Forrest Whitley, neither of whom has pitched in the majors, are on the 40-man roster and at Triple-A Sugar Land. Bryan Garcia is also with the Space Cowboys and started four MLB games for the Tigers last year. He’s off to a rough few weeks in the minors and does not hold a 40-man spot.
Astros Place Jose Urquidy On Injured List
The Astros have placed starter José Urquidy on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder discomfort, per a club announcement. Righty Brandon Bielak was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to take the vacated active roster spot.
Urquidy departed last night’s start against Philadelphia with the injury. The club announced postgame he was headed for an MRI. Chandler Rome of the Athletic tweets the team has yet to provide any specifics on the imaging, as Urquidy is slated to meet with medical personnel to analyze the results this evening. Regardless, Houston determined they weren’t going to run Urquidy back out there within the next two weeks.
The 28-year-old righty has started six games this year. He owns a 5.20 ERA through 27 2/3 innings. He’s striking hitters out at a below-average 18.7% clip while walking a career-high 8.1% of opponents. While it has been a bland first month, Urquidy has been a reliable mid-rotation control specialist for the bulk of his big league career. He’d allowed fewer than four earned runs per nine in spite of middling strikeout tallies for the past few years, including a 3.94 ERA across a personal-best 164 1/3 innings last season.
Houston is also without Lance McCullers Jr. due to injury. The Astros are down to a four-man starting staff of Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and touted rookie Hunter Brown (who has had an excellent first month in a big league rotation). Bielak has starting experience but manager Dusty Baker said the club will use him out of the bullpen initially (relayed by Mark Berman of Fox 26). Houston has an off day Thursday, allowing them to potentially skip the fifth starter this week while keeping everyone else on regular rest.
