CHICAGO — Houston Astros right-hander Spencer Arrigheti left his start Friday against the White Sox in the second inning due to “nerve irritation” in his right foot, the team said, an unwanted sight for a club seeking rotation stability.
Arrighetti threw 33 pitches in a first inning in which he walked two batters, hit two others, allowed two hits and gave up three runs. He returned to the mound before the second but after throwing a warmup pitch was visited by a team trainer and manager Joe Espada, who removed him.
After the Astros’ 9-5 win, Arrighetti said the issue was located between the third and fourth toes on his foot. He said he had not felt it before Friday and thinks he irritated it during his warmup at Rate Field.
“It wasn’t very bad when I was warming up and I thought I was going to be able to throw through it,” Arrighetti said. “But I got out there for the first (inning) and it bothered me on just about every pitch I threw. It’s my foot that I push off the mound with, too, so it felt like things weren’t coming out right. And I thought I was going to be able to just push through it, but I went back out for the second inning to test it out and it was really bothering me.”
Manager Joe Espada said Arrighetti mentioned the foot issue when he returned to the dugout after the first inning. He said Arrighetti will undergo imaging on the foot. Arrighetti said he was unsure what the next steps would be for him but that he had already met with a team doctor in Chicago.
“He didn’t seem overly concerned about it, kind of just told me that it’s going to need some time to calm down but there’s some options that might help the inflammation or the symptoms go away,” Arrighetti said. “So kind of just early stages exploring options to go about things.”
Called up in mid-April after starting the season at Triple-A, Arrighetti posted a 1.34 ERA in his first eight starts for the Astros this season and was named the American League pitcher of the month for May. In his ensuing eight starts, however, Arrighetti posted a 7.88 ERA, with Houston losing six of those games.
Those results, coupled with pitchers returning from the injured list, cast Arrighetti’s rotation spot into at least some question. If he must miss time, Hayden Wesneski, who made likely his final rehab start in his return from Tommy John surgery Friday, could be an option to slot into the rotation during its next turn.
With the trade deadline looming Aug. 3, meanwhile, any question about Arrighetti’s outlook could factor into how the Astros prioritize their pursuits. Houston’s rotation owns the third-highest ERA in the majors this season and Arrighetti ranks third on the staff in innings pitched.