Astros manager Joe Espada reveals the latest on Jose Urquidy
INJURY UPDATE
18 March 2024
Jose Urquidy appears to be starting the season on IL. Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images.
Astros pitcher Jose Urquidy made a lot of fans nervous on Friday when he exited his spring training start after just 43 pitches. Elbow pain reportedly was what cut his start short. Urquidy was then sent back to Houston for further evaluation.
Astros manager Joe Espada gave an injury update on Monday. According to MLB.com's Brain McTaggart, Urquidy is dealing with a forearm muscle strain and will likely begin the season on IL.
Urquidy has been diagnosed with a forearm muscle strain and won’t throw for a few days, manager Joe Espada said. He’s likely to start season on IL.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 18, 2024
Based on the information we have, this sounds like good news for Houston. There was no mention of the UCL, or any other elbow issues which could lead to Tommy John surgery being necessary.
But with Justin Verlander and Urquidy being unavailable to start the season, the Astros will have to rely on their depth. As of today, the rotation to start the season should be: Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, JP France, and Ronel Blanco.
Coach Ime Udoka has agreed to a contract extension with the Houston Rockets, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. No details on the terms of the contract were available.
The move comes after Udoka led the Rockets to the second-best record in the Western Conference this season and their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season. Houston made a remarkable turnaround in his two seasons in charge after being among the worst teams in the NBA the three seasons before his hiring.
The Rockets, who won just 42 games combined in the two seasons before Udoka was hired, went 41-41 in his first season before going 52-30 this season for their first winning record since 2019-20. Houston lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the first round of the playoffs this season.
Udoka led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2022, then was suspended for the following season after the disclosure of an inappropriate relationship with a female Celtics employee.
The 47-year-old was hired in April 2023 to replace Stephen Silas, who was fired after three losing seasons.
ESPN was first to report the contract extension.
