Forrest Whitley DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Athletic's Matt Kawahara reports that Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown does not think pitchers Forrest Whitley (knee) and Kaleb Ort (oblique) will be ready to go for the start of the season. However, Brown did note that both relievers could return "inside the month of April." The oft-injured Whitley sustained a bruised knee during his last spring training appearance, and although it appears minor, he's still working through it. While his major-league experience is capped at three innings, the 27-year-old was excellent to close out the 2024 season for Triple-A Sugar Land. On the other hand, Ort picked up an oblique injury early in camp and is behind in his build-up. The 33-year-old was superb for the Stros a season ago with a 2.55 ERA in 24.2 innings, though he compiled a 6.26 ERA or higher over the prior two seasons. They'll boost Houston's bullpen when both are healthy, and it appears their stays on the IL won't be for long.

Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle reports that Houston Astros pitcher Forrest Whitley (knee) was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his knee. Per manager Joe Espada, Whitley "felt something" in his knee on a pitch during his most recent Grapefruit League outing on Mar. 8, and an MRI later revealed the bruise. Espada notes that it's "too soon to tell" if the ailment will jeopardize his Opening Day status. The former top pitching prospect was building up to be a multi-inning reliever for the squad, but his off-season ramp-up will be put on hold for now. The 27-year-old has dealt with injuries before, including missing two months last season with elbow discomfort. However, upon his return, he compiled a 0.95 ERA in 28.1 innings at Triple-A Sugar Land.

The long-awaited arrival of Houston Astros pitching prospect Forrest Whitley was short-lived. Houston's 2016 first-round draft pick and former top pitching prospect has battled injuries over the years but finally got the call, only to face five batters in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Braves before being sent back down to Triple-A Sugar Land. The righty allowed a double, a walk, and hit a batter, but was able to record two outs in the inning. Even when healthy, Whitley hasn't been very effective, so we'll see where he goes from here. He's still just 26 years old, so perhaps a change of scenery would serve him well. For fantasy, however, he remains irrelevant.