Mike Burrows may be working his way back into the Astros’ pitching plans at exactly the right time.
The Houston right-hander threw 4⅓ scoreless innings in Sugar Land’s 1–0 win over Round Rock on Friday, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out three. Burrows threw 43 of his 67 pitches for strikes, averaged 95.6 mph with his four-seam fastball, and topped out at 97.1. He also generated 10 swings and misses, including five with his changeup.
More important than the numbers, Burrows said he finally felt healthy after dealing with elbow neuritis that had bothered him for weeks before he landed on the injured list. “Just happy to feel good,” Burrows said after returning to Daikin Park on Saturday.
Burrows said the elbow had been bothering him for roughly six weeks before the Astros placed him on the IL at the beginning of the All-Star break. He continued pitching through the discomfort, using his velocity as an indication that he could keep going, but eventually reached the point where simply getting healthy enough for his next outing became a struggle.
An MRI provided reassuring news, showing no structural damage and only inflammation around the affected nerve. After a period of rest and rehab, Burrows began building back up at the Astros’ facility in West Palm Beach, where he threw three innings in a bridge league game before advancing to Friday’s start with Sugar Land.
The Astros acquired Burrows from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team trade during the offseason, sending prospects Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito away in the deal. Houston put Burrows in its Opening Day rotation, but his first half was a difficult one.
He posted a 5.99 ERA in 18 appearances, including 17 starts, and allowed 21 home runs in 94⅔ innings. When the Astros optioned him to Triple-A on July 7, Burrows led the pitching staff in both starts and innings but had recorded just four quality starts. His elbow problem subsequently prompted Houston to nullify the minor-league assignment and place him on the injured list instead.
Manager Joe Espada liked what he saw from Friday’s rehab outing.
“I thought the results, the outcome, the videos and information that we gathered from that start, he looked really good,” Espada said.
Burrows also noticed improvement beyond simply being pain-free, saying his fastball had “a little bit more life to it” and his breaking pitches were better. He isn’t ready to rejoin the Astros just yet, however. Espada said Burrows is scheduled to make another rehab start for Sugar Land on Thursday as Houston continues building up his pitch count.
His progress could become particularly important for an Astros rotation that remains unsettled. Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, and Ronel Blanco have all been available out of the bullpen at points recently, leaving Houston with several decisions to make about how the rotation will look during the stretch run.
Burrows could give the Astros another option, provided he remains healthy and continues making the mechanical adjustments the organization wanted before his IL stint. He had been working on his arm angle and lower-body mechanics before being optioned.
“We have to make sure that he’s built up again and he’s healthy,” Espada said. “We do have some other guys in here that we’re trying to get going, trying to find some traction for them. But as a whole, we have multiple directions that we can go.”
For Burrows, the immediate objective is simpler: continue building up, stay healthy, and put himself in position to contribute when the Astros need him.
“Hopefully come back up here and help the boys win and keep things rolling,” Burrows said. “Just be available and be ready for a playoff push.”
His next opportunity to move closer to that goal comes Thursday in Sugar Land.
