Houston starters Cristian Javier and José Urquidy are both scheduled to have Tommy John surgery, a big blow to an Astros team trying to rebound after a terrible start to the season.
General manager Dana Brown made the announcement Wednesday, saying Urquidy will have the surgery to repair a right elbow ligament Wednesday while Javier will undergo the procedure Thursday.
Both players will miss the entire season and likely part of next season, with the typical recovery taking 12-18 months.
The Astros already were dealing with injuries to their rotation, with starters Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers not pitching yet this season because of injuries and not expected to return until after the All-Star break.
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Houston, which has reached the AL Championship Series in each of the last seven seasons, entered Wednesday’s games in third place in the AL West with a 28-34 record.
Urquidy hasn’t pitched this season after straining his right forearm in spring training. He appeared close to coming off the injured list before he left a rehabilitation start for Triple-A Sugar Land with right elbow inflammation on May 24.
The 29-year-old had Tommy John surgery in 2017 and made his big league debut two years later. He was 3-3 with a 5.29 ERA in 10 starts and six relief appearances last season.
In five major league seasons, Urquidy is 27-16 with a 3.98 ERA in 70 starts and nine relief appearances.
Javier was 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA in seven starts for Houston this season. He was placed on the injured list with right forearm discomfort on May 24.
The 27-year-old is 33-18 with a 3.59 ERA in 116 career appearances with 82 starts over five MLB seasons.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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