Charlie Morton was signed in the off-season to effectively replace Doug Fister in the Astros rotation. Morton is in his ninth year of major league service time, and is coming off an injury year with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Houston GM Jeff Luhnow spoke with Sportstalk 790 this morning and, in summation, said that Morton “checked all the boxes” with his pitching repertoire, and that the prior injuries had little to do with his arm. There is a high level of confidence that the lower body injuries that have sidelined him previously can be prevented with the correct training and preparation.