Astros linked to ex-Yankees, Red Sox reliever amid Hunter Brown news originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown is battling a shoulder strain, and the AL West club is playing it safe.
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Brown, last year’s third-place finisher in the American League Cy Young voting, will not have a timetable to return to the mound for at least three weeks, reports Will Kunkel on X.
“I’m also told the team is “not worried” about his injury (shoulder strain) going forward,” Kunkel reported on Tuesday.
This is one of a handful of injuries for the Astros’ pitching staff; Ronel Blanco, Josh Hader, and Nate Pearson are all on the 15-day injured list. However, Brown’s injury means Houston’s relievers must step up in his absence.
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer named a free agent the Astros could consider.
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Astros linked to former Yankees, Red Sox reliever
In January, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that left-hander Justin Wilson, 38, was considering retirement. Apparently, he’s willing to sign a new deal if it’s with a World Series contender.
“Which is what he should be holding out for, frankly,” wrote Rymer. “He’s been an effective lefty reliever for 13 years, including last year, as he held lefty batters to a .574 OPS for the Boston Red Sox.”
Wilson would be a valuable arm for the Astros to have in their bullpen while Hader is out. He’s proven he can get outs in high-leverage situations, and depending on Brown’s health status, he can shorten games the ace would’ve started by throwing important middle relief innings.
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