Astros pitcher Mark Appel has emergency appendectomy
By Jeff Adcox
Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Mark Appel is recovering well after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on Thursday in Houston. Appel was the the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s First-Year Player Draft out of Stanford.
The Astros are reporting that it was a standard procedure with no complications, while multiple other media outlets are characterizing it as emergency surgery.
The Astros also stated that Appel will report to Spring Training on time for the Feb. 15 report date for pitchers and catchers.
“Mark will be fine,” said General Manager Jeff Luhnow. “He will report to camp on time. Once he arrives in Spring Training, we’ll see where he is at health-wise and take it from there. We anticipate that he will either be ready to work out at the start of camp or very close to ready.”
The Astros ask that media refrain from contacting Appel as he recovers from the procedure.
According to Rotoworld.com, the 22-year-old is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training.
"Appel has his sights set on cracking the Astros Opening Day rotation. It’s more likely however, that he makes his MLB debut much later in the season."