No one dares utter it deep in the halls and stairwells of the Houston Astros’ mission control, but the team’s top prospect (and MLB’s third-ranked hurler, according to MLB.com), right-handed starting pitcher Forrest Whitley, won’t make his MLB debut anytime in 2019.

Houston’s first-round draft pick in 2016 (17th overall), the 6’7″, 195-pound flame thrower was shut down by Houston brass around the first of June by what the team calls “shoulder fatigue.”

That seems to be veiled Astro-speak for a condition just one step beyond the routine company line of “shoulder discomfort,” the standard medical phrase (for whichever body part) usually served to the media by the Astros’ PR department.

The Plan

Whitley has been working out the past couple weeks at the Astros’ West Palm Beach Spring Training facilities and is about to resume throwing. His routine, up to this point, has included time in the gym and working with the team’s trainers.

Starting the season at Houston’s AAA Round Rock Express, Whitley could also use the Florida reset to regroup mentally, having suffered a bit of a blow to his confidence this year.

In 2019, Whitley has spun such unsightly numbers as a 12.21 ERA, a .343 batting average against, and a 2.05 WHIP against much older Pacific Coast League opponents. In his eight appearances (five starts), Whitley was slapped with nine homers and 35 hits in his 24.1 innings. Control was an issue, with 15 walks, but with 29 Ks registered, it’s clear his upper-90s fastball hasn’t deserted him.

“He’s Regrouping”

“There is some shoulder fatigue and definitely a lot of caution,” Express manager Mickey Storey told Kevin Lyttle of the Austin American-Statesman recently. “There’s no hiding he wasn’t having much success. But it wasn’t a situation where the stats determined his fate. It was a situation where a young pitcher is scuffling and might not be 100 percent.

“We didn’t want to keep running him back out there and beating his head against the wall if he’s not 100 percent. He’s regrouping. He’s still a top prospect and still our guy. This is just a good time to get him back on track.”

Houston GM Jeff Luhnow added his perspective on Whitley to reporters recently: “He looks good. He feels good. We’re going to give him a little more time. Once he starts throwing, we’ll come up with a plan.”

Related: Forrest Whitley Adjusts to Life’s Wicked Curve

The Path Near-Term

Knowing Houston’s kid-glove approach with their pitchers (especially prospects), and taking into account Whitley’s age (he’ll turn 22 in three months), there seems to be no point in rushing the San Antonio native to Houston’s big stage anytime this season.

In fact, according to Lyttle, it’s unlikely Whitley will initially return to Round Rock. He’s thrown only 162 minor league innings in his brief career, including his 41 innings pitched in Double-A in 2018 and the last month of 2017.

A trip to Corpus Christi, then, might fit better with the Astros’ cautious approach, while giving him the opportunity to regain confidence against players closer to his age.

Asked by Lyttle why Whitley isn’t rehabbing with the Express, Storey said, “They have a lot more time and resources at our training complex. The organization felt there was value in getting him away from it and finding him more hands-on structure in Florida.”

Adding to Whitley’s unavailability has been starter Corbin Martin‘s recent demotion from Houston back to Round Rock, thereby testing the Astros’ heralded farm system depth.

Good News For One

Luhnow recently cited some of Round Rock’s successful pitchers to the San Antonio Express-News, all three of whom he deemed ripe for promotions: Rogelio Armenteros, Cy Sneed, and Jose Urquidy.

Indeed, the right-handed starter Armenteros was called up June 14, and made his MLB debut with the Astros out of the bullpen during their weekend series at Minute Maid Park against the Toronto Blue Jays.