Injured Houston Astros Starter Poised To Start Rehab Assignment

Another injured Houston Astros starting pitcher has one more hurdle to clear before a potential rehab assignment.

Mar 3, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy. / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Astros starting pitchers José Urquidy will throw this weekend in a move that could position him to start a rehab assignment soon.

Urquidy will throw live batting practice on Sunday before Houston wraps up its series with the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park.

If things go well, the hope is that he can go on his own rehab assignment after, according to Space City Sports Network.

The 29-year-old right-hander started the season on the injured list after he left a spring training game with a right forearm strain.

He is 27-16  with a 3.98 ERA since he joined the Astros in 2019.

This is the latest in a string of good news for Houston from a starting pitching perspective after a rough first month of the season.

Urquidy, Cristian Javier, Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander have all been on the injured list at various points this season. That doesn’t include two pitchers on the 60-day injured list — Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr.

Valdez and Verlander have returned to the rotation. Javier is close to returning, as the Astros told reporters that he will make a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday. The expectation is that he’ll throw up to 65 pitches.

If he doesn’t experience a setback, he could start for Houston on their next road trip.

There is no expectation on when Urquidy will return to the rotation. But, given that he’s been rehabbing his injury for more than a month, it’s likely he’ll need multiple starts in the minor leagues before he can make a return to the Astros.

Houston starts a two-city road trip on Tuesday when they face the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers.