Houston Astros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy removed himself from Friday's minor league Grapefruit League game after experiencing discomfort in his right, throwing elbow.
Urquidy was reportedly scheduled to throw 60 pitches but it made it to just 43 before exiting the game.
While the extent of the injury wasn't clear at the time, the The Athletic reported on Saturday that Urquidy was flying back to Houston to see doctors and that his elbow has not subsided.
This comes at a time when the Astros are already down multiple starting pitchers, to include Justin Verlander. It appears Urquidy will join Verlander on the injured list to begin the season. It's not a good omen for Houston that now must find away to get some meaning innings from their younger pitchers like Hunter Brown and J.P. France barring the acquisition of a free agent starter.
Hopes were high for Urquidy in 2024 after missing the majority of the 2023 MLB season. When he did pitch last year he was relatively ineffective, posting a 5.29 ERA in just 63.0 innings pitched.
While the total extent of the injury for Urquidy has not been revealed, "throwing elbow pain that does not subside" and "pitchers" are usually not a great recipe when they reside in the same sentence.
Inside the Astros will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available.
More must-reads: