Spencer Arrighetti exits with nerve issue in foot

Arrighetti lands on the injured list after departing Friday’s start against the White Sox following just 33 pitches over one inning with nerve irritation in his foot. The 26-year-old looked like a fixture in fantasy rotations for several weeks after returning from the injured list in mid-April, but his performance unraveled as the first half wore on. He surrendered six earned runs or more in three of his final four starts before the All-Star break, and now heads back to the shelf after another abbreviated outing. It’s unclear how much time he’s going to miss, but fantasy managers should brace for the possibility of an extended absence.

Arrighetti shut it down after a couple of throws from the mound while warming up for the second. He had a rough start to this game. Two walks and a single by the first three batters he faced brought home one run, a sacrifice fly a second and then consecutive hit batsmen with two outs a third. It took 33 pitches in all.

Arrighetti gave up one hit, walked four and struck out six. His only run allowed came in the fourth inning when he allowed an RBI single to Dylan Beavers. Arrighetti has 87 strikeouts in 87 innings this year. His ERA is 4.34, though his xFIP is 4.84. Arrighetti’s problem continues to be that he walks too many batters. He’s lined up to face the White Sox on the road next weekend.

The 29-year-old right-hander had a terrific first half for the Astros, compiling a 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and an 81/33 K/BB ratio across 86 innings through his first 15 starts. At this stage, he should be considered a viable weekly option in all mixed leagues. Spencer Arrighetti will follow him on Saturday with Hunter Brown getting the ball in Sunday’s series finale in Houston.

It’s a small sampler because of injury, but it’s probably not a good sign when three innings of three-run baseball sees your ERA actually drop to 9.98. It was his first start since returning from the shoulder strain, and it somewhat predictably didn’t go well as he allowed four hits and three walks to go with four strikeouts. It remains to be seen if Javier will remain in the rotation. Fantasy managers have the luxury of not having to worry about Javier; he can remain on the waiver wire.

He’s taking the spot of the demoted Mike Burrows. Javier has allowed one run and walked three over three innings in two relief appearances since being activated last week. He had a 12.54 ERA in three starts to open the year before landing on the IL with a shoulder strain.

Arrighetti walked six, struck out two, and allowed two homers in the ugly performance. It isn’t a surprise given it came on the road against one of the highest-scoring lineups in MLB, but he has scuffled badly lately. He now has an 8.74 ERA over his past seven starts. This was his final outing of the first half. The Astros host the Orioles coming out of the All-Star break.

Wesneski threw 46 pitches and struck out three batters on the day. The 28-year-old is recovering from last May’s Tommy John surgery. His return to Houston will depend on what role they envision for him. If he’s going to be a bulk relief option, then he could conceivably be up with the big league team after one more appearance. However, he will likely be pushed to around 60 pitches in his next outing, so he would need at least one more after that if the team envisions him as a starting pitching option.

This was the fourth time in Arrighetti’s last five starts where he wasn’t super curveball dependent. It was also just the fifth time in 14 starts this season where he threw more fastballs than curves. That usage pattern wasn’t consistent here though. After throwing it sparingly the first time around the order – and almost exclusively trying to land it in the zone early for strikes – he went to it more heavily the second time around and was more hunting for whiffs. It helped him be more efficient, but he missed fewer bats and was pulled after just 73 pitches before he had to see Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda for a third time. Funny enough, Caminero homered in the seventh off a reliever. Still, Arrighetti pitched well and left this outing with a 3.81 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and 38 walks through 78 innings this season. He’ll close out his first half with a start against the Nationals next week.

The plan appears to be for Javier to pitch out of the bullpen for the time being, probably in a long relief role. There’s not much runway to fantasy value here, but at least Javier is finally healthy enough to pitch again.