Astros: Framber Valdez out indefinitely with ‘serious’ finger injury
The Astros have been dealt a huge blow with the news that Framber Valdez has suffered what is being deemed a serious finger injury.
Framber Valdez was on the mound Tuesday for the Houston Astros in what was supposed to be routine spring training action.
It turned out to be a disaster of an outing and not because of his results. Valdez fielded a groundball hit by Francisco Lindor and his pitching hand got in the way of his glove. He did not leave the game, but the bad news dropped Wednesday.
Valdez finger injury is said to be serious and expected extend to keep him out quite awhile. Tough blow for Astros. https://t.co/Kuv2MSuxPi
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 3, 2021
Framber Valdez out with a finger fracture
Jon Heyman gave Astros fans the bad news and further reports confirmed it was a fractured finger on his throwing hand.
This is a huge blow for the Astros as it takes a rising star in the rotation out for an indefinite amount of time. Valdez made 11 appearances during the shortened 2020 season and finished 11th in American League Cy Young Award voting. His 9.7 K/9 was an exciting number to watch moving into 2021.
The Astros lost Gerrit Cole in 2020 and are still without Justin Verlander as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Zack Greinke will now be relied upon to return to his All-Star ways, but he is getting up there in age at 37-years-old.
Valdez was signed as an international free agent back in 2015 at the age of 21, so he was already older than most players in his position. At the age of 27, he was on a path to make a name for himself in the Astros rotation.
The team must now adapt and hope Valdez can return at some point this season. The only positive from this injury is that he is not dealing with any structural damage that will affect his throwing. However, any finger injury is something to keep an eye on for a pitcher.
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