Houston Astros Relief Pitcher Has Tommy John Rehab Assignment Halted

The Hoston Astros opted to shut down the rehab assignment of a relief pitcher working his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Apr 15, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Penn Murfee (56) pitches to the Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros received some excellent news earlier this week when starting pitcher Justin Verlander was able to get back on the mound. He pitched for the first time in 72 days after dealing with discomfort in his neck.

The Astros are very happy to have him back in the mix, but not all of their injury updates are positive. Another pitcher who they were hoping could provide the team with a second-half boost, Penn Murfee, suffered a setback.

Murfee began his rehab assignment last week, making his first appearance with the franchise. Unfortunately, he will now be shut down because of “a reoccurrence of right elbow discomfort,” per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle.

Murfee underwent Tommy John surgery last July as a member of the Seattle Mariners. It was an unfortunate turn of events, as he had been excellent coming out of the team’s bullpen.

In 80 games and 83.1 innings pitched, Murfee recorded a stellar 2.70 ERA with 92 strikeouts. Prior to the injury, Murfee was one of the most dominant relief pitchers in baseball during the 2023 season. He recorded a 1.29 ERA across 16 appearances and 14 innings before getting shut down.

Now 30, Murfeee’s career is in limbo. He was placed on waivers by the Mariners following the 2023 season and claimed by the New York Mets.

Murfee didn’t last long with the Mets, as he was eventually claimed by the Atlanta Braves. After some roster maneuvering, he ended up back on waivers, which is how he landed with the Astros.

“It’s not ideal,” manager Joe Espada said. “It sucks because I know he’s worked really hard. He wants to get on the field, he wants to pitch for us this season. I still expect him to do it. It’s just, we’re going to have to slow him down a little bit here and see how he feels. It’s day to day right now.”

Espada left the door ajar in terms of a Murfee return this season. Houston is planning on another deep run in the postseason and could use all of the help they can get, especially in the bullpen.

Even if Murfee doesn’t get back in the mix in 2024, he is someone who could be a part of their long-term plans. He would remain under team control for four more seasons after this one, and given how well he performed in 2022 and 2023 with Seattle, he is someone worth holding onto if he can get healthy.