Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (ankle) won't start on Sunday against the Texas Rangers. The 29-year-old has played well this season, amassing a 7-6 record, a 2.49 ERA, and 110 strikeouts in 16 starts. However, he tweaked his ankle during the June 20 meeting versus the Mets and has been bothered by it since. Skipper Dusty Baker didn't indicate who will be on the bump on Sunday. But the immediate concern is whether or not Valdez will land on the IL.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings in a 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. Valdez struck out six and walked three while taking the loss. The Houston southpaw notched a solid 14 swinging strikes in the outing but his record dropped to 7-6 with the loss, to go along with a 2.49 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts over 105 innings of work. His next start will come on Sunday against the Texas Rangers.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez fired seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts for his sixth win of the year as Houston topped the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 on Friday. The 29-year-old has been a quality-start generator in 2023, leading the AL with 10 through his 12 starts. Better yet, Valdez has permitted two runs or fewer in nine of his 12 appearances. The workhorse also leads the major leagues with 79 innings, producing a stellar 2.16 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 84 punchouts. The 2022 All-Star's mettle will be tested for a road date with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Valdez holds a shaky 5.50 ERA in 18 career innings against the Jays.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez continued his excellent season versus the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. The left-hander achieved his second career shutout with only four hits allowed, while striking out seven in the victory. To be fair, it was against the struggling A's lineup, but still an impressive performance. He now holds a 2.45 ERA and a 72/12 K/BB ratio in 66 innings. Valdez had a breakout season in 2021 and has continued to rise since then. Fantasy managers are loving what they see from Valdez right now.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez turned in another excellent start in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Angels. Valdez pitched eight innings, allowing a single run on three hits (including a solo home run) and no walks with 12 strikeouts. With so much variability among fantasy starters this season, Valdez has stood out as a high-end consistent option. The 29-year-old is now 3-4 with a 2.38 ERA and a 9.68 K/9 rate. He'll look to keep things going in his next start against the Cubs.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said he's giving contract talks "48 hours" in the team's attempt to lock up star left-hander Framber Valdez to a long-term contract extension at spring training. Valdez isn't scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2025 seasons, so the Astros still have time if they can't get something done in the next few days at camp. The 29-year-old southpaw tossed a career-high 201 1/3 innings in the regular season last year and went 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA (3.06 FIP), 1.16 WHIP and 23.5 percent strikeout rate in 31 starts to make the All-Star team for the first time in his career. Fantasy managers shouldn't consider him an ace, but he's a solid second starter heading into his sixth MLB season.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez hasn't had any contract-extension talks with the team this offseason in the lead-up to spring training. New general manager Dana Brown and the Astros front office will surely start talking extension with Valdez at some point this spring. They just signed fellow starter Cristian Javier to a five-year, $64 million extension last week. Valdez is 29 years old and isn't scheduled to reach free agency until 2026. The Dominican southpaw made his first All-Star team in 2022 and was downright unhittable in the postseason on his way to winning a World Series title. He finished the regular season with a 17-6 record, 2.82 ERA (3.06 FIP), 1.16 WHIP and 23.5 percent strikeout rate in a career-high 31 starts over a league-high 201 1/3 innings. RotoBaller currently has Valdez ranked as the No. 25 fantasy starter in 2023.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez won't pitch in this year's World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, according to new general manager Dana Brown. It makes total sense, as Valdez tossed a career-high 201 1/3 innings in the regular season in 2022, which was a big jump from his previous career-high of 134 2/3 from the 2021 campaign. The 29-year-old southpaw was one of the best pitchers in baseball, too, in a breakout season with a 17-6 record, 2.82 ERA (3.06 FIP), 1.16 WHIP and career-high 23.5 percent strikeout rate in 31 starts overall. RotoBaller currently has Valdez ranked as the No. 25 fantasy starter in all of baseball.

The Houston Astros and left-handed starting pitcher Framber Valdez agreed on a one-year, $6.8 million deal on Friday to avoid salary arbitration. Valdez was excellent in his fifth season with the Astros and earned his first All-Star selection. He finished the year 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA (3.06 FIP), 1.16 WHIP and 23.5 percent strikeout rate in 31 starts. Valdez led the league with three complete games, one shutout, 201 1/3 innings pitched, 827 batters faced and 0.5 home runs allowed per nine innings. The 29-year-old southpaw was absolutely dominant in Houston's run to another World Series championship as well. He'll enter the 2023 season as an SP2 for fantasy managers.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez will start Game 6 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies when the series shifts back to Houston on Saturday. The 28-year-old Dominican southpaw was outstanding during the regular season, going 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA (3.06 FIP), a 1.16 WHIP and a 194:67 K:BB in a league-high 201 1/3 innings over 31 starts as a first-time All-Star. He's carried that success over into the postseason, allowing just five runs (three earned) on 12 hits while walking six and striking out 24 in 19 innings over three starts. In the Game 2 win over the Phillies in the World Series on Saturday, Valdez allowed just one run on four hits while walking three and striking out nine in 6 1/3 frames.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez will start Game 2 of the World Series in Houston on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The one-two punch of Justin Verlander and Valdez has been dominant all year. Valdez finished the regular season 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA (3.06 FIP), a 1.16 WHIP, a career-high 194 strikeouts and 67 walks in 201 1/3 innings over 31 starts as a first-time All-Star. He's been even better in two playoff starts against the Mariners and Yankees, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits while walking three and striking out 15 in 12 2/3 innings to pick up one win. The 28-year-old Dominican southpaw threw five shutout innings with one walk and 10 strikeouts in a win against the Phillies in his only start against them in 2022, which came on Oct. 5.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez was at his best Thursday night, giving up just two unearned runs on four hits and no walks in seven innings to lead the team to a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees. Valdez struck out nine batters and took the win. Through 12 2/3 postseason innings this year, Valdez has a 1.42 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 15 strikeouts. His next start will either come late in this series, or in the World Series if the Astros can finish the job and knock out New York.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez will start in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees on Thursday. In his only start so far this postseason in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against the Seattle Mariners on Oct. 13, he allowed two earned runs on four hits while walking three and striking out six in a no-decision in the team's eventual 4-2 win. The 28-year-old Dominican southpaw made just one start against the Yankees during the regular season, giving up three earned runs on two hits while walking three and striking out seven in six innings pitched for a no-decision.

Houston Astros skipper Dusty Baker announced that left-hander Framber Valdez will start Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. He'll be opposed by right-hander Luis Castillo. Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. will start Game 3 of the series for the Astros. Valdez earned his first All-Star nod this year and went 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA (3.06 FIP), a 1.16 WHIP, 194 strikeouts and 67 walks in a league-high 201 1/3 innings over 31 starts for the Astros. He had three complete games and one shutout. In two starts against Seattle in 2022, Valdez went 1-0 and allowed six earned runs on 13 hits while walking two and striking out 15 in 13 2/3 frames.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez had a rough outing on Friday, allowing six earned runs in just 5 1/3 innings pitched during the 7-3 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. He gave up nine hits, walked three and struck out two. Valdez has been lousy for two straight outings after pitching 5 1/3 innings with seven runs (four earned) his last time out. The left-hander has had a successful season in the middle of the Astros rotation, as he owns a 2.89 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 22.7% strikeout rate and 16 wins over 30 games. Valdez should make one more start before the playoffs, facing the Philadelphia Phillies in the season finale on Wednesday.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez was excellent in Monday's 7-0 win over the Tigers. Valdez pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing six hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. The 28-year-old has been a fantasy asset all season and is now 15-5 with a 2.50 ERA, 8.47 K/9 rate, and 3.06 BB/9 rate over 27 starts and 179 2/3 innings pitched. His next start should be another favorable one against the Athletics. Valdez has gotten fantasy managers to the playoffs and should continue to help them advance.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez is quietly putting together a fantastic season on the mound. The left-hander went seven innings, zero earned runs, and eight strikeouts in the win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday. This start marked his 19th straight quality start of the season. After this performance, Valdez is posting a 2.73 ERA with 128 strikeouts through 22 starts this season. Valdez should be rostered in all fantasy formats as he could be in the CY Young conversation later this year.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez completed 6 1/3 innings of work on Friday and got his 10th win when his team beat the Cleveland Guardians 9-3. He allowed three runs on seven hits and had just three strikeouts with three walks. His 21.7% strikeout rate doesn't do much for fantasy managers, but Valdez has been great at preventing runs this season, posting a 2.87 ERA and 3.30 FIP. His 1.15 WHIP is impressive, too, and the fact that he plays on the Astros means he's rosterable in every fantasy league.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez faced off against the New York Mets Tuesday night and quieted their potent offense, allowing just six hits and two walks in eight shutout innings. He struck out five batters and earned his eighth win of the season against just three losses. This is Valdez's 12th consecutive quality start, and 13th in 15 tries this season. He has a 2.65 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, with his 80 strikeouts in 95 innings being the only statistic that has not been superlative thus far.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez continued his strong start from April, as the 28-year-old right-hander finished May giving up just 11 earned runs on 33 hits over 43 innings pitched. Valdez also finished May by posting an opponent batting average of just .210 while striking out 33 batters and allowing just 10 walks. With Valdez not being a big strikeout guy -- he throws his four-seam fastball just 5% of the time -- he relies heavily on generating contact with his sinker and curveball. So far in 2022, hitters are barreling Valdez's pitches just 2.2% of the time and have an average exit velocity of just 88.7 mph. Valdez is a top-25 starting pitcher in all standard fantasy leagues and is a must-start fantasy pitcher.