Sources: TJ surgery expected for Astros’ Urquidy

Houston Astros starter Jose Urquidy, dealing with reemergence of forearm discomfort, could be headed for Tommy John surgery, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Urquidy, who hadn’t pitched since experiencing a forearm strain in spring training, was seemingly on the cusp of a return while navigating through a rehab assignment but was pulled early from his third outing on May 24.

The 29-year-old left-hander got initial imaging done last Tuesday and will soon visit with noted surgeon Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. The expectation, sources said, is that Dr. Meister will recommend Tommy John surgery, which Urquidy previously had in 2017.

Starting pitchers typically require somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 to 16 months to recover after having the replacement of the ulnar collateral ligament.

The Astros, off to a surprisingly rough start on the heels of a seventh consecutive appearance in the American League Championship Series, have been decimated by injuries throughout their rotation this year. Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander each missed most of April but have since returned; Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr., both recovering from major arm surgeries, won’t come back until some point in the second half; and Cristian Javier, like Urquidy, recently experienced forearm discomfort that forced him to halt his throwing progression.

Urquidy was a critical member of the Astros’ rotation from 2020 to 2022, posting a 3.71 ERA in 301 innings during the regular season. In 2023, he struggled with a 5.29 ERA in 63 innings while missing more than three months with shoulder discomfort.