Jake Odorese sprints with a left leg injury

May 17: Technical director Dusty Baker told reporters (Link via Molly Burkhardt from MLB.com). Odorizzi will have an MRI today to determine the extent of the damage, but Becker was some optimism, saying after the match that Odorizzi was “probably better than he was on the hill”.

May 16: Astros writer Jake Odorese He was sent off the field during tonight’s game against the Red Sox. Break the right hand to cover the first base after Enrique Hernandez Hit a ground ball on the right side of the playing field. He stumbled off the hill and fell to the ground in pain. He was eventually moved off the field.

The team has yet to provide a substantive update, only stating that it left the game due to lower leg discomfort. Figure club officials to provide more details after the game. Given the nature of the injury, it would be a real surprise if the veteran didn’t need the injured list. It will be known if he experiences a particularly noticeable absence after he undergoes further tests.

Odorizzi has made seven starts this season, throwing 31 2/3 runs. He has a solid 3.13 ERA, but this comes with worse than average hits, walks and balls. Odorizzi made use of a meager 0.258 average hitter on the balls in play with only one action allowed on the ground for 128 hitters facing each other.

The Astros are rotated to six members, with Justin VerlanderAnd Christian JafferAnd Jose UrquidiAnd Luis Garcia And Framber Valdez Join Odorizzi in the starting team. That group was among the most effective in the game, and shooting coach Josh Miller told reporters ahead of today’s game that they plan to stay with the six-man squad (link via Chandler Roma from the Houston Chronicle). The absence of Odorizzi will obviously affect the composition of that group, leaving the Astros to decide whether to return to a five-man rotation or call in a reinforcement like Brandon Bellack or Peter Solomon From Triple A Sugar Land.

If Odorizzi is facing a long-term absence, it could prove very costly to him personally. He signed an incentive-packed deal with the club late in the 2020-21 season. Odorizzi plays this season with a base salary of $5 million; It fired up a $500,000 incentive to hit 100 rounds, with an additional $1 million rewards for every 10 rounds thereafter through 160 frames. His deal also includes a $6.5 million player option for next season which comes with a $3.25 million purchase; Both the option price and the purchase number will escalate if Odorizzi starts at least 20 times this year.