Astros place Valdez on IL with elbow inflammation

The Houston Astros placed pitcher Framber Valdez on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, manager Joe Espada announced Tuesday, per The Athletic's Chandler Rome.

Valdez was scratched from Monday's start against the Texas Rangers due to left elbow soreness. He felt soreness at the top of his elbow after playing catch Sunday.

"He's going to need some time to recover," Espada said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. "We'll watch the inflammation to see how quickly that comes down. Hopefully, it could just be maybe two starts, and we'll get him back on the mound."

The 30-year-old has developed into one of the best starting pitchers in the American League. Valdez is a two-time All-Star and helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series.

He registered a 2.19 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 12 1/3 innings in his first two starts of the season.

Valdez is the latest star pitcher dealing with an elbow injury. Spencer Strider, Shane Bieber, Gerrit Cole, and Eury Pérez have also suffered elbow ailments since the beginning of spring training.