Astros reliever Josh James to miss 6-8 months after hip surgery

Houston Astros reliever Josh James will miss several months following hip surgery.

After a season that saw the Houston Astros fall just short of another trip to the World Series, now they know that one of their key relievers will likely miss the start of the 2021 season.

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James initially suffered an injury in mid-August during a game against the Colorado Rockies. He was out of action until September, when he returned in time for the postseason. He would depart Game 5 of the ALCS with back tightness.

SportsRadio 610 in Houston noted that Astros general manager James Click announced that James had surgery on Friday to repair his hip. The recovery time is listed between 6-8 months, meaning he’ll be on the shelf to start next season. The saving grace for James is the majority of the recovery time will fall during the offseason.

Josh James will miss the 2021 season for the Astros

He had a slow start to an already shortened season, giving up 11 runs and seven runs over a pair of very short three-inning starts. After that, he was reassigned to the bullpen. Following his return, Astros fans saw a much different side of James. In six appearances out of the bullpen, he struck out eight batters.

His injury added to the list of ailments for the team. Justin Verlander and Brad Peacock both had injuries that shut their seasons down. While James’ recovery time is listed at 6-8 months, it could easily be June or July before we get our first look at him next season.

He finished the year with a 7.27 ERA over 13 appearances and did manage 21 strikeouts. The rough start didn’t help his cause, but seemed to settle down once he got into the bullpen and got situated. It would appear as though that may be a better-suited role for him, but we’ll know more once he has recovered and is able to start throwing again.