Astros' starting rotation curse continues to run rampant with another pitcher ruled out for season

The Houston Astros cannot catch a break with the injury bug, especially when it comes to their starting rotation.Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia have been out since Opening Day while Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier are out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. But that wasn't the end of all their injury woes.

Now, J.P. France is out for the season. He had been down in Triple-A Sugarland after starting the year 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA in five starts. But he was placed on the injured list in May, and after resuming throwing, he had another setback.

France is now done after choosing to have shoulder surgery.

J.P. France out for season, will have shoulder surgery

This is a major blow for the Astros. While France hadn't performed well, the team's rotation depth continues to take hits. Even Justin Verlander is now on the injured list with a neck issue.

Fortunately for the Astros, they are playing much better baseball and have gotten back to the .500 mark, so they could be in a position to buy at the trade deadline rather than sell.

If that's the case, they are going to need some reinforcements in the starting rotation. They're fortunate to have left-hander Framber Valdez and have witnessed the emergence of Ronel Blanco, but they're going to need some more help with all the injuries.

France going down for the rest of the year severely hurts their rotation depth, and until the trade deadline, the Astros are going to have to scramble to piece together their rotation as well as set up a few options for depth. The depth is obviously being tested in a big way this season.

We'll see if the Astros can maintain their hot streak and stay in the race while they wait for pitching reinforcements, or if they'll have to act quicker and add some pieces now.