Getty Images According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros announced this morning that left-hander Sergio Escalona has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery next week.
Escalona, who was acquired from the Phillies last January, posted a 2.93 ERA and 25/11 K/BB ratio over 27 2/3 innings out of Houston’s bullpen last season. The 27-year-old held left-handed batters to a .188/.278/.313 batting line and a .590 OPS.
With Escalona sidelined, Wesley Wright and Fernando Abad will likely compete for the team’s left-handed specialist job. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow hasn’t dismissed the possibility of using non-roster invitee Zach Duke out of the bullpen if he doesn’t win a spot in the starting rotation.
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- jwbiii - Mar 24, 2012 at 10:37 AM
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Somewhere, Mike Gonzalez and Scott Boras chortle and exchange a high five.
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- jwbiii - Mar 25, 2012 at 12:22 AM
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Nothing could go wrong with this plan
Luhnow on Escalona: “This probably makes us think about [Zach] Duke’s role if he doesn’t win a spot in the rotation."—
Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 24, 2012
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- jwbiii - Mar 27, 2012 at 9:00 AM
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Astros release Duke and Cust.—
Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) March 27, 2012
