3 Astros who won’t be on the roster by September 1

Astros rumors: Jose Urquidy has a month to prove himself

Jose Urquidy finally made his return to Houston after spending months on the 60-day IL with shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm. In that return start against the Yankees, Urquidy lasted just 3.1 innings, leaving with the bases loaded. He surrendered three hits and three walks, good for five earned runs in this first start back. This, of course, has raised some alarms in Houston, especially with five starting pitchers ahead of him in the depth chart. Jose Urquidy has this month to prove himself for the future of the 2023 season.

The Astros rotation, as long as it’s healthy, is anchored by Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander. J.P France, Christian Javier and Hunter Brown follow that up, which likely wraps up the postseason rotation for the Astros. This leaves the returning Urquidy to prove to the team that he’s still the same pitcher that has produced for them in years past if he wants a spot on the roster beyond September.

There is potential that somebody is moved to the bullpen to provide the team with a long reliever, but even then, Brandon Bielack has appeared to be more dependable than Urquidy has this season. This is far from a guarantee because the Astros have a lot of trust in him, but if he doesn’t figure it out this month, Jose Urquidy could be optioned to Triple-A.