Astros right-hander Phil Maton told reporters Tuesday, including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, that he fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right pinkie finger after punching his locker on Wednesday. He already had surgery and won’t be able to return this season.
Maton, 29, has just finished his sixth MLB season, throwing 65 2/3 innings out of Houston’s bullpen. He registered a 3.84 ERA along with a 26% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate and 38.2% ground ball rate. He moved into higher-leverage positions this season, earning 14 holds after never previously cracking double digits.
Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweeted video of Maton’s comments, where the reliever relays that he punched his locker because he was upset with how his outing went. It’s unknown if it’s related, but Wednesday was the final game of the season wherein his brother, Nick Maton of the Phillies, singled off him. The pitcher described his actions as “short-sighted” and “selfish” before hoping that his absence doesn’t hurt the team. He says he’s expected to be in a cast for the next eight weeks but will be ready for spring training.
The Astros are set to begin their ALDS series against the Mariners and will now do so without Maton. He had a strong showing with Houston in the playoffs last year, throwing 12 1/3 innings with a 0.73 ERA, though he won’t be able to contribute this time around. Maton is earning $1.55M this year and can be retained for one more season via arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects that Maton would earn a raise into the vicinity of $2.5M for next year.
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