The Astros have placed Justin Verlander on the 10-day injured list due to a strain on his forearm and selected the right contract Brandon Bielak, Brian McTaggart’s tweets from MLB.com. Houston has also chosen infielder Taylor Jones to alternate camp and remembered right-handed Nivaldo Rodriguez.
Verlander publicly denied yesterday a report that he is expected to miss the rest of the 2020 season with the injury, tweeting that he is hopeful that the break will heal the current problem and allow him to return. For now, Verlander won’t launch for at least two weeks and will be reevaluated after that close. In his absence, a once formidable rotation now seems vulnerable. Lance McCullers Jr. He was strong in his effort back from surgery Tommy John, and a veteran Zack Greinke This is still a high-end option. But options beyond that pair include Framber Valdez, Josh James and several other largely untested names (Bielak among them).
Bielak, 24, was the Astros’ pick in the eleventh round in 2017 and is currently in the top half to top third of the team’s top 30 prospects. He divided the 2019 season between Double-A and Triple-A, shooting a combined ERA of 4.22 with 8.8 K / 9, 3.7 BB / 9, 1.0 HR / 9 and a 46 percent ground ball rate. Both MLB.com and FanGraphs label him as a potential fourth / fifth starter in their reports on him, noting that he lacks a true positive tone, but he has overall average bids, a durable frame, and a history of shot shots.
Rodriguez, 23, may not have received the call in a normal season, as he has never thrown over A-ball. However, the Astros are more limited in their options, so they will jump straight into the big leagues after last year’s 2.40 ERA, 9.8 K / 9 and 3.0 BB / 9 in 105 frames between Class A and Advanced Class A.
