Astros Notes: Verlander, Rotation, Tucker

The Astros scratched veteran ace Justin Verlander from his start against the Tigers earlier today due to discomfort in his neck. Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti stepped in to make a spot start in Verlander’s stead, but was shelled for seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings of work before he was removed in the second inning.

Verlander spoke to reporters (including The Athletic’s Chandler Rome) prior to the game this afternoon and indicated that his neck has been bothering him for “a couple of weeks” but that he’s attempted to pitch through it to this point. The pain caused him to cut his usual bullpen between starts short earlier this week, but both Verlander and manager Joe Espada indicated that the issue likely won’t result in a trip to the injured list. As Rome notes, the club has three scheduled days off in the next two weeks that will offer the club the ability to be more flexible regarding Verlander’s schedule in the short term.

That being said, the possibility of Verlander missing time is surely a concerning one for the Astros. After all, the club recently lost both Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier for the season due to Tommy John surgery, and both Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. have spent the entire season on the IL to this point. Neither Garcia nor McCullers are expected back until after the All Star break as things stand; Garcia appears to be closer to a return after throwing a live batting practice last week (per MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) while McCullers threw a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday. Garcia is expected to begin a rehab assignment after “two or three” more live batting practice sessions, while McCullers appears to be “on schedule” for a return sometime in August.

With both Garcia and McCullers more than a month away from contributing, the Astros are limited in terms of internal pitching depth behind their current rotation of Verlander, Framber Valdez, Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, and Spencer Arrighetti. J.P. France and Blair Henley are both in the minors on the 40-man roster, but France last pitched on April 30 due to a shoulder injury while Henley allowed five runs in his lone big league start earlier this year while recording just one out. Right-hander Eric Lauer is pitching at Triple-A while on a minor league deal with the club and seems likely to be the top non-roster depth option available to the Astros, although he struggled to a 6.56 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work with the Brewers last year and has posted similar numbers at Triple-A with the Pirates and Astros this season.

In other injury news, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart provided an update regarding the status of outfielder Kyle Tucker earlier today. Tucker has been on the injured list for just over a week due to a right shin contusion after fouling a ball off of his leg, and McTaggart noted today that Tucker is no longer relying on crutches while moving around the dugout and clubhouse. While that’s certainly a good sign, McTaggart also noted that the soreness hasn’t completely dissipated for Tucker, who is still walking with a limp. According to manager Joe Espada (as relayed by McTaggart), Tucker may end up needing to go on a minor league rehab assignment before he returns if he can’t begin running “in the next day or two.”

A lengthier absence for Tucker would be an unfortunate turn of events for the Astros, as the 27-year-old was on an MVP-caliber pace at the time of his injury. In 60 games with Houston this year, Tucker has slashed a fantastic .266/.395/.584 in 262 trips to the plate while clubbing 19 home runs and stealing 10 bases. That’s good for a fantastic 176 wRC+ even in spite of the slump Tucker fell into in the weeks immediately prior to his injury, where he hit just .150/.255/.300 in his final 47 trips to the plate before landing on the IL. Trey Cabbage and Chas McCormick have split time in right field while Tucker has been on the shelf, with Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubon handling left.