Astros' Arrighetti Fractures Thumb After Being Hit by Ball During Batting Practice in Seattle
Houston's third starter will miss time after a batted ball struck his pitching hand while he played catch before Monday's game at T-Mobile Park.
By Kendra Konchanuk ·
Houston Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti broke the thumb on his pitching hand Monday when a batted ball hit him before the team's game in Seattle, the club announced.
Manager Joe Espada said Arrighetti was playing catch in the outfield at T-Mobile Park while the Mariners took batting practice when the ball struck him. Espada spoke with reporters shortly after the incident, before the team confirmed that the pitcher had suffered a fracture.
The Astros did not provide additional details or an estimate of how long Arrighetti will be out. The injury, however, will interrupt his season and gives Houston its first test of the depth in its starting rotation. Arrighetti made 28 starts for the club last year and opened this season as the team's third starter.
In his season debut at Daikin Park, Arrighetti limited the Mets to one run over six innings. He struggled in his next outing Saturday against the Twins in Minnesota, allowing five runs in 3⅔ innings.
With Arrighetti expected to go on the injured list, Houston must find someone to fill his spot, which is next scheduled for Friday at home against the Angels. An off-day Thursday would allow the Astros to move Ronel Blanco up to start that game, but the team would still need a fifth starter at some point during a stretch of six games in six days.
One internal candidate is Ryan Gusto, who started last season at Triple-A Sugar Land and is on Houston's roster as a reliever. Gusto has allowed one run over seven innings in three relief appearances for the Astros, and he threw three innings Saturday. Because he has spent several weeks on a reliever's schedule, it is unclear whether he is built up enough to join the rotation immediately.
The Astros have little experienced starting depth at Triple-A. Colton Gordon and A.J. Blubaugh are perhaps the top options at Sugar Land, though neither has pitched in the majors. Gordon is on the 40-man roster and Blubaugh is not. Gordon is the only healthy starter on the 40-man roster who is not already with the major-league club.
Lance McCullers Jr. is working to return to the rotation after undergoing flexor surgery in 2023, but his comeback is not close. He threw 1⅔ innings in his latest minor-league rehab start Saturday and is scheduled to make another rehab outing for Sugar Land this weekend.
Source: Houston Chronicle
