Houston Astros 'Don't Foresee' Pair of Injured Pitchers Back Anytime Soon

It could be a while until a couple of the Houston Astros pitchers make their way back onto the field according to their general manager.

Apr 17, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher J.P. France (68) / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a tough year for the Houston Astros and their pitching staff.

Already knowing they would be without Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. until roughly the midway point of this season, they were dealt some tough news when Justin Verlander came into camp behind schedule and started out on the injured list.

Things started snowballing from there as Jose Urquidy hit the IL, followed by Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier.

This forced the Astros to rely on their second-year starters, Hunter Brown and J.P. France, among some of their top minor leaguers who were called up.

It was a major struggle for these players, putting Houston in huge deficits early that ultimately is a main reason why they are sitting below .500 and will have an uphill battle to make the playoffs.

But, their expected starting rotation has started to get healthy, allowing them to demote those young pitchers who floundered facing MLB hitters.

One who was sent down to Triple-A was J.P. France which was a bit of a surprise at the time.

The right-hander was coming off a rookie year that saw him finish with an 11-6 record and 3.83 ERA in the regular season. But he couldn't put together back-to-back solid performances as he sat with an 0-3 record and 7.46 ERA through his five starts in 2024.

The Astros' former top prospect, Forrest Whitley, was also expected to have an impact this year after his transition into the bullpen before he was placed on the injured list.

Now, both players are battling injuries and it doesn't sound like they'll be throwing for Houston anytime soon.

"I don't foresee them coming back soon to this club because they have some obstacles they have to get through," general manager Dana Brown said according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

Whenever France recovers, he likely will have another opportunity to make his case that he can become part of their rotation moving forward, but this feels like the end of the road for Whitley with this franchise.