Astros Starter Could Be Facing Season-Ending Surgery

Brutal news for the Houston Astros pitching staff continues this season, as they're now learning that Tommy John surgery is a very real possibility for starter Jose Urquidy, which would knock him out likely until 2026. A 14-16 month recovery is typical.

BREAKING: Astros starter Jose Urquidy, recently pulled off his rehab start, will soon see Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas and could be headed for a second Tommy John surgery, sources tell me and @JeffPassan.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) June 3, 2024

Urquidy has been coming back from a forearm strain suffered in spring training, and was nearly ready to return to the rotation when he was pulled early from his last rehab outing on May 24.

A visit to the doc left ominous results, and now a meeting upcoming with noted elbow surgeon Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas will follow. It's expected that he'll recommend Tommy John. It would be Urquidy's second TJ of his career, as he also had the procedure done in 2017 while he was still in the minors.

The 29-year-old made just 16 appearances for the Astros last season, 10 of them starts. He posted a 5.29 ERA following a strong first two full seasons in the Houston rotation.

The Astros pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries this year. They lost starters Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander for most of April, while Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. are both recovering from major arm surgeries and won't return until later in the second half of the season. Cristian Javier, meanwhile, also recently had to be shut down from his throwing program.

The Astros find themselves 7.5 games back in the AL West, as well as in the Wild Card chase, with numerous teams to leapfrog.