Valdez (illness) is starting Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The left-hander was dealing with some fatigue and a sore throat over the weekend, but he's ready to take his regular turn through the rotation Tuesday. Valdez delivered seven scoreless frames in his season debut but surrendered five runs over five innings during his most recent start last Wednesday.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Valdez is dealing with some fatigue and a sore throat, putting his status in question for his scheduled turn through the rotation Tuesday in Seattle, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The left-hander could still be available to pitch Tuesday, but for now the Astros are leaving Tuesday's starter as "to-be-announced." In his first two starts of the season, Valdez has a 3.17 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB across 12 innings.

Valdez (1-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and four walks in five innings Wednesday against the Giants. He struck out nine.

EDGE Analysis

The star left-hander was ambushed early, promptly serving up a two-run home run to Willy Adames in the first inning. Luis Matos then hit a solo homer in the second, and Heliot Ramos also doubled to drive in a pair of runs during the frame. Valdez did settle in to throw three scoreless innings thereafter and fanned nine Wednesday, and he'll look to rebound in his next scheduled start at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park against Seattle early next week.

Valdez (1-0) picked up the win Thursday against the Mets, striking out four and giving up four hits and two walks across seven scoreless frames.

EDGE Analysis

Valdez got off to a rocky start by allowing one hit and one walk in the first frame, but he managed to escape unscathed and didn't face much resistance over the following six innings. The Astros' shutout was broken in the ninth inning when Josh Hader gave up a sacrifice fly to Francisco Lindor, but the southpaw reliever managed to punch out Juan Soto for the save to give Valdez the Opening Day victory. It's a strong start to the 2025 season for Valdez after posting career bests in 2024 in ERA (2.91) and WHIP (1.11) across 176.1 regular-season frames. He's tentatively slated to face off against the Giants at home next week.

Manager Joe Espada announced Sunday that Valdez will start Opening Day against the Mets on March 27, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

After posting a career-best 2.91 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB across 176.1 regular-season innings last season, it was only a matter of time before Espada named Valdez as Houston's Opening Day starter. The left-hander has focused on the movement of his pitches during spring training and overall has pitched well with a 2.53 ERA across 10.2 innings.

Valdez allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out one in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

Valdez had a rough outing on the surface, but he built up to 60 pitches before throwing 15 more in a bullpen session. Per Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle, Valdez had no concern about his line, instead noting that he was focusing on the movement on his pitches in favor of trying to rack up strikeouts or precisely hit his spots.

Valdez said Thursday that the Astros have yet to approach him or his agent regarding a contract extension, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Valdez is set to make $18 million during 2025 in his final year under team control, and there's been no indication to this point that Houston is eager to lock up the lefty to a long-term deal. He'll turn 32 next winter, but Valdez should have no trouble landing a sizable contract from someone following three straight top-10 finishes in voting for the American League Cy Young Award.

Valdez and the Astros agreed to a one-year, $18 million contract to avoid arbitration Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Valdez is entering his final year of arbitration and will earn nearly $6 million more than he did in 2024. He's emerged as one of the more reliable pitchers around the league in recent seasons, posting no worse than a 3.45 ERA in any season since 2021. Valdez has also completed at least 176 innings in each of the last three campaigns.

Valdez will start Game 1 of the wild-card series versus the Tigers on Tuesday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

EDGE Analysis

How the Astros ultimately set up their full postseason rotation will be interesting, but there wasn't much question as to whom would take the ball in Game 1. After an inconsistent first half, Valdez held a 1.96 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 87:23 K:BB over 78 frames in 12 second-half starts. He'll be opposed by Tarik Skubal.

Valdez (15-7) allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Mariners on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Valdez was one out shy of a fifth straight quality start, but he was able to get the win, which also clinched the AL West for the Astros. Over his last five starts, he's allowed five runs across 33 innings with a 30:11 K:BB in that span. The southpaw is now at a 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB through 176.1 innings across 28 starts this season. Valdez's next start is likely to come in the playoffs. He is on turn to pitch during the wild-card round, as the Astros are locked in to finishing third among the American League's division winners.