The Houston Astros received an offensive boost when outfielder George Springer re-joined the club after a two-month absence. However, the team will now have to deal with a loss in their starting rotation.
Veteran Scott Feldman will miss the remainder of the 2015 season due to a right shoulder sprain, as announced on the Astros' Twitter account.
#Astros RHP Scott Feldman has been diagnosed with a sprained right shoulder and will miss remainder of 2015 season.
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 11, 2015
Feldman will begin a rehab protocol through the offseason. No set timeline for return; goal is for him to be ready to pitch in 2016. #Astros
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 11, 2015
Feldman, 32, left his last start on Sept. 1 in the third inning because of shoulder discomfort. He underwent an MRI last Thursday and the results showed no structural damage, however, he returned to Houston earlier this week when the Astros were taking on the Oakland Athletics to undergo more tests.
"It might include an additional cortisone shot," manager A.J. Hinch told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday. "We're still in the evaluation stage. He hasn't made any progress yet, but he's continuing to get opinions on his shoulder."
The further opinions will result in a shutdown.
It's a big loss for Houston because Feldman was performing well since returning from a knee injury that kept him sidelined for almost two months. The right-hander was 1-1 with a 2.36 ERA in the seven starts before he suffered the shoulder injury. He was 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 61 strikeouts in 18 starts (108 1/3 innings) this season.
The Astros will now have to make a pressing decision involving their starting rotation, specifically with Lance McCullers. The rookie has been performing sensationally in his debut MLB season, but it's unknown if the team will keep him on the postseason roster or even continue to pitch him throughout the month because the 21-year-old is already at 128 2/3 innings pitched for the year, which is 24 innings more than his career-high of 104 2/3 back in 2013.
Houston will face the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers in their next two series as they continue their 10-game road trip. They lead the Rangers by 2.5 games in the AL West.
