The Houston Astros will play the American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins without a key member of their bullpen.
Chandler Rome of 'The Athletic' reports that Kendall Graveman will miss the series with shoulder discomfort.
Kendall Graveman was left off the Astros' ALDS roster due to "right shoulder discomfort," according to the team.
It's a big loss for Houston, who doesn't appear to be as good as the team that won the World Series a season ago. They still have Hector Nerris, Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu in that bullpen, but not having Graveman does deplete the options for Dusty Baker's squad.
The 32-year-old Graveman, who pitched with the Astros in 2021 after being acquired in a deal from the Seattle Mariners, was re-acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a deadline deal this year. He had signed with Chicago after the 2021 season.
This year, between the two organizations, he went 5-6 with a 3.12 ERA. Known for his power sinker, he struck out 66 batters in 66.1 innings.
In his ninth year with the Astros, White Sox, Mariners and Athletics, Graveman is 37-43 with a career 3.95 ERA. He was a starter prior to joining Seattle in the 2020 season.
The Astros and Twins will begin the ALDS on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4:45 p.m. ET as Justin Verlander (HOU) goes up against Bailey Ober (MIN).
Verlander was 16-11 with a 3.64 ERA this year while Ober was 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA. He'll be making his first postseason appearance.
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