For Houston Astros starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi, his scary-looking injury in Monday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park didn’t turn out to be nearly as bad as he initially thought.
Odorizzi collapsed just off the side of the mound in the fifth inning while trying to make his way over to first base, and stayed on the ground in pain for a long period of time.
Odorizzi, who the Astros placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with lower leg discomfort, told reporters prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Sox that he felt a “large pop” as he made his way off the mound and feared he had ruptured his Achilles tendon, per The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome.
Fortunately for Odorizzi, an MRI revealed that he suffered only strained and sprained ligaments around his ankle and foot.
Odorizzi was taken off the field in a stretcher after the injury, but he told Rome that the “stretcher made it looks worse than it was.”
After avoiding a serious injury, Odorizzi is expected to come back to pitch for the Astros this season, which he called the “best case scenario.” There hasn’t been a timeline set yet for Odorizzi’s return, according to Rome.
The 32-year-old Odorizzi was enjoying a strong start to his 11th MLB season, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.13 earned run average.
