Houston Astros Reportedly Could Get Their Ace Back This Weekend

It seems like the Houston Astros will get some much-needed rotation help back this weekend according to their manager.

Oct 22, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) throws / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a nightmarish start to the season for the Houston Astros.

They sit 10 games under .500 entering Wednesday following their 7-2 loss against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. It's the first time they have been this far away from a winning record since 2016 when they were 18-28.

Much of their issues comes from their pitching staff as they are second to last in the MLB with a 5.16 ERA.

Injuries have not helped them at all, but it's also disheartening to see establish players like Josh Hader and Ryan Pressly have 8.38 and 8.31 ERAs respectively. The Astros have also not gotten help from second-year players Hunter Brown and JP France, who each have ERAs of 9.68 and 7.46.

It's hard to win games when top players aren't available, and that's what Houston has dealt with so far in 2024.

They got a boost when Justin Verlander made his return and put together a solid effort (two earned runs over six innings pitched with a win) in his first start back.

Now, they reportedly will get one of their best starting arms back this weekend, according to manager Joe Espada, who says they expect Framber Valdez to take the mound against the Colorado Rockies.

"The goal is maybe he can start in Mexico. It's just depending on how he feels," he told Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle.

Their ace is scheduled to throw a bullpen session today after he threw around 30 pitches with minimal effort in a separate session over the weekend.

Valdez was originally placed on the 15-day injured list ahead of his start on April 9 with elbow inflammation. Prior to that, he had been fairly solid in his two starts, recovering from allowing three earned runs on Opening Day to shutting out the Toronto Blue Jays in 7 2/3 innings during his outing on April 2.

Getting him back will be huge for the Astros as they continue to fight an uphill battle every time out with their shaky rotation.