Astros’ injury list grows with another season-ending surgery
ASTROS NEWS
26 June
More injury woes for the Astros. Composite Getty Image.
Houston right-hander J.P. France will have surgery on his throwing shoulder Monday.
France opened the season in the majors but had been optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land and made one start there when he was placed on the injured list in early May.
France resumed throwing recently after being shut down for about a month, but had a setback this week leading to the decision to have surgery. The team did not provide any details about the nature of his surgery in its announcement Wednesday.
France was 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA in five starts for the Astros this season before his demotion.
His injury is the latest in a series of injuries to Houston's starting pitchers this season. The Astros opened the year without Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers because of injuries and José Urquidy and Cristian Javier both had Tommy John surgery earlier this month before ace Justin Verlander landed on the 15-day injured list with neck discomfort.
With only four pitchers currently in the rotation, the club could have really used France with an upcoming schedule that includes ten games in ten days on the road.
And with Garcia not expected back until late July, the Astros will have to get creative with their starters.
What the Juan Soto deal means for Houston Astros championship window
Dec 9, 2024, 4:01 pm
Over the weekend, the big domino finally fell with Juan Soto agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million megadeal with the New York Mets. Which means Alex Bregman and the other top free agents on the market should soon follow in short order.
In fact, we're already seeing reports from Rob Bradford of WEEI and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale claiming that the Red Sox and Yankees are “expected” to make a run at Bregman.
Soto heading to the National League certainly feels like a win for Astros fans, but that could change if missing out on Soto causes the Yankees to pry Breggy away from Houston.
We'll have to wait and see how this plays out before we get too excited. However, one thing is for sure, all the free agents on the market have to be thrilled about the size of Soto's deal. Not to mention Willy Adames' 7-year, $182 million deal with the Giants that could help Bregman's chances of receiving a more lucrative deal than the Astros reportedly offered him, 6- years, $154 million.
What's really eye-opening about Soto's contract is how it could impact Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, specifically Tucker. It's hard to imagine Tucker won't get an offer of at least $300 million, and at this point $400 million wouldn't surprise us.
Historically, the Astros don't trade their big name free agents before their contracts expire, but perhaps they should rethink that approach with King Tuck. If they won't even entertain a deal approaching $300 million, it might be worth taking a step back this year to replenish the farm system and focus on the team long-term.
Speaking of trades, the Astros are reportedly calling anyone who will listen about the availability of Ryan Pressly.
Don't miss the video above as we react to the Soto deal, share our thoughts on how it could impact the Astros championship window, and much more!
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