The Astros look good so far this season. They will have to continue without their No. 4 starting pitcher Collin McHugh, who will be shut down fox six weeks.
The Houston Astros are a young team with a bright future, especially on offense. The starting rotation was a question mark heading into this season. While the team is doing alright, things are going to get a little tougher. Starting pitcher Collin McHugh will be shut down for six weeks with a posterior impingement of his right elbow. This creates a ripple effect in the Astros rotation.
McHugh has been dealing with a dead arm since February. He threw his first pitches off of a mound on March 6. He made his first Grapefruit League start on March 27, allowing three runs over just 1.2 innings.
McHugh began the season on the 10-day DL. The idea was that he would need one or two more minor league starts before joining the Astros rotation. Things didn’t look good after the first start. He lasted just one inning allowing three runs, three hits and one walk for Triple-A Fresno. After the start, he said he felt tightness in his elbow and biceps, according to Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle.
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Kaplan later tweeted the injury information. He wasn’t owned in a lot of leagues, currently at 15.5 percent in ESPN leagues.
This doesn’t change much for McHugh owners. This is important for the other two pitchers in the Astros rotation.
Outside of Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers were the last two pitchers in the rotation.
McHugh’s absence now locks them in until the end of May. Musgrove and Fiers are widely available on all fantasy sites. With guaranteed spots for just under two months, their value increases greatly.
Fiers had a good first outing against the Kansas City Royals. He went six innings and gave up one run on five hits and three walks while striking out three. Musgrove didn’t have the same success, two runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts in five innings. They are both good options in deeper leagues.
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If the Astros get great seasons from the top of their rotation, then they will compete for the division title. For fantasy, Fiers and Musgrove are streaming options in standard leagues. Unless you have unlimited DL spots, McHugh should be dropped. You can’t hold onto a pitcher that won’t pitch until at least June, especially someone as average as McHugh.