Astros' Forrest Whitley: May serve as reliever once healthy
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Astros general manager Dana Brown confirmed Sunday that Whitley (lat) could be an option to join the major-league squad as a reliever once he's healthy and activated from Triple-A Sugar Land's 7-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Though he's been regarded as one of the Astros' top pitching prospects for more than a half decade, Whitley has yet to make his MLB debut, with multiple setbacks on the health front having stalled his development. Now on the mend from a right lat strain that's expected to keep him shelved for around 3-to-4 months, Whitley likely won't have enough time to get stretched back out for a starting role at Triple-A even if he meets the short end of that recovery timeline. The Astros still believe the 25-year-old right-hander possesses the sort of arsenal that can make him an effective weapon out of the bullpen, so if he's quickly able to reclaim command and velocity upon returning from the injury, he could make his long-awaited MLB debut at some point during the final month of the season.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: To miss up to four months
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Whitley (lat) is expected to miss 3-to-4 months, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Whitley was placed on the injured list last week at Triple-A Sugar Land after suffering a right lat strain, and now the Astros have provided an estimated recovery timeline for the oft-injured 25-year-old former top prospect. It's possible Whitley won't pitch again this season if his recovery extends into September.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Lands on injured list
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Whitley (lat) was placed on the minor-league injured list Sunday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The Astros announced Sunday that Whitley is out indefinitely due to a right lat strain, so his move to the injured list is a procedural move. The right-hander made eight appearances (six starts) at Triple-A Sugar Land prior to his injury and posted a 5.70 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 30 innings. Manager Dusty Baker recently indicated that Whitley was in consideration to join the major-league club, but the 25-year-old will now shift his focus toward his rehab process.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Shut down with lat strain
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The Astros announced Sunday that Whitley is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a right lat strain, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The injury is the latest in a long string of health-related setbacks for the star-crossed Whitley, who has yet to make his MLB debut despite being a fixture on top prospect lists since he was selected by the Astros in the first round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. Whitley's lat strain comes at an especially inconvenient time for the Astros, as manager Dusty Baker acknowledged that the right-hander was in consideration to join the big club as a potential sixth starter after Houston recently began a stretch of 17 games in as many days, per Lerner. If the Astros do decide to incorporate a sixth starter into the mix, Whitley's Triple-A rotation mate, Ronel Blanco, now looks to be next in line for a call-up.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: More shoulder issues at Triple-A
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Whitley was removed from Thursday's start at Triple-A Sugar Land with discomfort in his right shoulder, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Astros are saying his removal was precautionary, but Whitley just recently missed a couple weeks of action with shoulder issues and he ended last season with a shoulder problem, as well. Whitley has been inconsistent with Sugar Land this season, posting a 5.70 ERA and 32:17 K:BB over 30 innings.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Healthy at Triple-A
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Whitley (shoulder) gave up one run on two hits and one walk while striking out four in four innings Saturday for Triple-A Sugar Land.
Shoulder discomfort resulted in a two-week gap between starts for Whitley, but he never landed on the minor-league injured list. The Astros' rotation depth has been tested early this season, and if Whitley can stay healthy while performing well, he could make his big-league debut this summer. The 6-foot-7 righty has lacked consistency while pitching in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but he has gone at least four innings in all six appearances and has 26 strikeouts in 25 innings.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Dealing with shoulder discomfort
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Whitley's last start for Triple-A Sugar Land was skipped due to minor right shoulder discomfort, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Whitley has the most name value of Houston's starters at Triple-A, but after a strong first two starts of the campaign, the 6-foot-7 righty has struggled to the tune of a 9.00 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 13 innings over his three most recent outings. J.P. France and Brandon Bielak were chosen for the open rotation spots at the big-league level as Whitley deals with the shoulder issue.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: First hiccup of season
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Whitley gave up five earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six in 4.2 innings Tuesday against Triple-A Las Vegas.
This was Whitley's first stumble of the year, as he gave up just one run while striking out 11 in eight innings over his first two appearances. He was done in by the long ball in his third start of the year, as he gave up two home runs at home for Sugar Land. Despite this hiccup, Whitley has put himself squarely back on the dynasty and redraft radar with a 0.95 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Sent to minor-league camp
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The Astros optioned Whitley to minor-league camp Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley has made a pair of appearances in Grapefruit League games, throwing four innings and allowing two runs with a 3:1 K:BB ratio. Once ranked as the top pitching prospect in all of baseball, Whitley has struggled with injuries and command and also dealt with a PED suspension, but the 25-year-old has a good chance to make his MLB debut at some point this summer with Houston.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Dealing with shoulder discomfort
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Whitley is dealing with "very minor" shoulder discomfort, according to general manager James Click, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley last pitched Sept. 16 and was scratched from a start Thursday with shoulder discomfort. He logged a 5.06 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and a 23:17 K:BB in 21.1 innings over his five most recent minor-league starts. Whitley, who is on the 40-man roster, has tallied only 40 innings in his first minor-league season since 2019.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Back in action at Triple-A
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Whitley (arm) is scheduled to make an appearance Thursday for Triple-A Sugar Land, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Though Whitley was never placed on Sugar Land's injured list, he hadn't pitched for the affiliate since July 10 due to inflammation of his right biceps. The Astros were apparently satisfied with how Whitley checked out during his recent throwing sessions, so he'll be able to slot back into the Sugar Land rotation without the need of a rehab assignment at a lower-level affiliate. Expect Whitley to be capped at around two innings in his first outing in nearly a month.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Gets positive news on shoulder
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Astros general manager James Click said Wednesday that Whitley sustained no structural damage to his right shoulder after exiting his most recent start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley was diagnosed with inflammation in the shoulder immediately after his departure, and that looks to be the extent of the right-hander's injury after follow-up tests revealed nothing else concerning. Click said he's hopeful that Whitley will be ready to resume throwing after a 7-to-10-day shutdown period, so the right-hander is still likely to land on Sugar Land's 7-day injured list. Once he's cleared to resume throwing, Whitley will likely need at least a few days to ramp back up before Sugar Land clears him to return to game action.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Managing right shoulder issue
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Whitley exited Sunday's start at Triple-A Sugar Land due to right shoulder inflammation, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reports.
Whitley appeared to be favoring his throwing arm as he left the field Sunday, and he's apparently dealing with inflammation. It's not yet clear whether the issue will require a trip to the injured list.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Exits Triple-A start
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Whitley was removed from Sunday's start at Triple-A Sugar Land due to an apparent right arm injury, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley was activated from the injured list Monday after recovering from Tommy John surgery, so it's concerning that he was favoring his throwing arm as he exited Sunday's matchup in the top of the second inning. The exact nature and severity of his injury aren't yet clear.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Activated from injured list
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Whitley (elbow) was activated from the injured list Monday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley made a few rehab starts in recent weeks, but he has officially completed his comeback from Tommy John surgery and is ready to pitch regularly again. Whitley was assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land, where he will work on building up his pitch count. He could be an option for the big club at some point in the second half, but the Astros have a lot of capable starters, so they have little incentive to push him over the remainder of the campaign.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Throws two innings
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Whitley (elbow) allowed one hit and struck out two across two scoreless innings in a rehab appearance with Single-A Fayetteville on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley made his second rehab appearance as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He threw 21 of his 29 pitches for strikes. Whitley will continue to ramp up his workload with a couple more rehab starts before being activated from the injured list, when he will likely enter the rotation for Triple-A Sugar Land.
Whitley (elbow) is scheduled to make his second rehab start Wednesday for Single-A Fayetteville, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
After making a two-inning rehab start June 16 with the Astros' rookie-level Florida Complex League in his first game action of 2022, Whitley will report to a full-season affiliate as he continues his ramp-up program. Since he hasn't pitched since the 2019 season while recovering from March 2021 Tommy John surgery, Whitley will likely require at least a couple more starts with Fayetteville or another lower-level affiliate before eventually slotting into Triple-A Sugar Land's rotation.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Makes rehab start in FCL
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Whitley (elbow) struck out two over two innings and was charged with three earned runs on three hits and two walks in a rehab start Thursday with the Astros' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate.
Whitley's numbers are indicative of some rust, but that was to be expected after he hadn't made an appearance in affiliated ball since Sept. 2, 2019. Arm troubles prevented him from joining the Astros during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, and he missed the entire 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March. Now 15 months removed from the procedure, Whitley should gradually work deeper into his rehab starts and ideally will show improved command before likely settling into the Triple-A Sugar Land rotation. The Astros will be careful to monitor Whitley's workload this season coming off surgery, so if he gets a call to the big leagues in 2022, he may be tasked with a relief role.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Will begin throwing
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Whitley (elbow) reported to the Astros' spring training facility this week to begin a throwing program, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley underwent Tommy John surgery in March and still has another 6-to-8 months before getting into game action. That will unfold in the minors, as the right-hander has thrown just 86 innings of affiliated ball since 2017. The one-time elite pitching prospect has tumbled down the rankings since the beginning of 2018, when he was suspended 50 games for violating MLB drug policy. An oblique injury, a mechanical adjustment that led to a 12.21 ERA in 2019 and an arm injury that prevented him from participating in the abbreviated 2020 season then served to further derail him.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Undergoes surgery
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Whitley underwent Tommy John elbow surgery Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Whitley felt discomfort in the elbow while throwing live batting practice earlier this month and could not avoid surgery. He faces a 12-to-14 month recovery period and could possibly pitch during the second half of 2022.
