The Houston Astros are dealing with two concerning injuries to prominent starters in their rotation this spring.
Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy are going to begin the year on the injured list. Not quite the start that they were hoping for heading into a season with so much promise.
Their ace seems to be progressing well following coming into camp a bit behind schedule, but based on Verlander being 41 years old, even minor issues should be dealt with extreme caution.
Urquidy's issue might be more severe.
Diagnosed with a forearm strain, he also was dealing with pain in his elbow, something that no pitcher and team wants to hear.
Because of these situations, the Astros will now be even more reliant on the healthy players already in place.
One they are really eyeing to take that next step is second-year player Hunter Brown.
"We need him to step up and show that he can be a strong, foundational starter that can get deep in games. I think we're expecting him to take a step forward and we need it," pitching coach Josh Miller said bluntly according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
The 25-year-old certainly has the potential.
After being taken in the fifth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Brown was immediately considered a top-10 prospect in Houston's farm system, turning into a top-three guy before making his Major League debut last season.
"He can become a No. 1 one day. We all feel that. But he's going to have to take that next step — maturing, controlling emotions, all that stuff that you want to see out of a young pitcher turning that corner and becoming more aware of the things you need to do to be more consistent," manager Joe Espada said.
When looking at what Brown did on paper, it's easy to point out struggles.
He finished with a 5.09 ERA and below-average ERA+ of 83, but also had a FIP of 4.37, strikeout per nine innings ratio of 10.3, and threw over 150 innings in his rookie campaign.
Perhaps the most positive sign, however, was that the 25-year-old had a 3.62 ERA through June before second half struggles ballooned his numbers.
That happens to young pitchers.
Hitters start figuring out tendencies when more gets put on tape, and the youngster didn't have enough experience to combat what was taking place.
Brown is going to be heavily relied on in 2024.
This is his opportunity to showcase what he can do and flash the potential that he can become the ace of this staff eventually.
More must-reads: