It's tough for Astros fans to believe Joe Espada's Framber Valdez update
By Curt Bishop
The Houston Astros are one of the many teams who are dealing with pitching injuries. Left-hander Framber Valdez was scratched from his start last night due to elbow soreness. Valdez had reported feeling soreness after Sunday's warmups and it carried into Monday, causing him to be scratched.
Valdez is obviously far from the first pitcher to go down with an elbow-related issue. Spencer Strider reportedly has some visible damage in his UCL, and Shane Bieber is out for the season.
Manager Joe Espada provided a positive update on the left-hander on Monday, saying that the fact he wasn't put on the injured list was encouraging. But fans likely won't buy this.
Framber reported some soreness at the top of his elbow area after he played catch yesterday. The soreness persisted today.
— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) April 8, 2024
“The fact we didn’t put him on the IL is a good sign, we’ll see what the doctors say.”—Joe Espada
Astros fans not buying Joe Espada's update on Framber Valdez
There are plenty of reasons why Astros fans may be fearing the worst and won't believe what Espada has to say.
The main reason is because of the vast number of pitchers who have gone down in recent years with elbow issues. It's also important to note that not putting Valdez on the injured list may be the wrong choice.
Ultimately, it's hard to imagine this issue not causing a stint on the injured list, as so many pitchers have dealt with elbow troubles in recent years, and these issues typically do result in lengthy periods on the injured list. For now, Astros fans are left wondering as the situation is very much in limbo.
The Astros themselves have had multiple pitchers go down already. Justin Verlander, Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., and Jose Urquidy are all on the shelf, though Urquidy's MRI did not reveal any structural damage.
All Astros fans want at the moment is more information, and that information hasn't come just yet. The team has been very vague about all of this so far, which is unsettling for the fanbase. The hope is that Valdez's injury isn't serious and that he can make his next start. But for now, things are very uncertain, and fans are left holding their breaths.
We'll see what comes of this issue and if Valdez will ultimately be able to avoid the injured list. Obviously, other pitchers, inclduing Verlander, Garcia, McCullers, and Urquidy were unable to, and the same can be said for pitchers such as Bieber.
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