The Houston Astros scheduled Forrest Whitley to start on Monday, per Chandler Rome of Houston Chronicle in a report late last week. The Astros will play against the Miami Marlins in West Palm Beach, Florida as Whitley makes his first outing for the Spring.
Whitley, a former first round pick and top-100 prospect, has had some struggles getting back to his top prospect form. He came back from Tommy John surgery last year, pitching 2 games in Single-A Fayetteville and 10 games in Triple-A Sugar Land. Injuries have always been a problem for him, pitching only 237 innings in his career, but he has shown the stuff to be a not starter.
2023 may finally be the year for Whitley. Many still trust he will become a starting pitcher at the MLB level because of his arsenal — and he will test a new pitch this spring, the splitter — and his strong arm. While Whitley will be 26 this season, his arm is still young and the recent injury news to Lance McCullers Jr. could help him get a better chance at contributing.
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