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| Chris Sampson has signed a one-year deal with the Astros worth $815,000 to avoid arbitration, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: The 31-year-old vet went 4-2 with a 5.04 ERA over 55.1 innings of relief last season. Sampson could earn another $15,000 if he makes 55 appearances in the upcoming campaign.
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| Chris Sampson has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, according to Richard Justice. |
Our View: Sampson had recently complained of a tired arm, and got blown up in relief on Thursday night, allowing six runs in just 0.2 innings. Don't expect to see him back in the big leagues this season unless Houston becomes woefully short on arms.
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| According to the Houston Chronicle, Chris Sampson threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and reported no pain. |
Our View: Sampson, on the DL with shoulder spasms, claims his arm feels good and he had no issues in his bullpen session. He will throw a simulated game on Friday and, barring any setbacks, will be activated on Sunday.
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| Astros' writer Alyson Footer is reporting on her Twitter page that the team has placed pitcher Chris Sampson on the 15-day DL with spasms in his right shoulder. The team will purchase the contract of Chad Paronto from Triple-A. |
Our View: Sampson has been suffering from shoulder problems for awhile now, and the team felt it was time to place him on the DL. If you are in a league that counts holds, it may be worth it to hold onto him, but anyone else should feel free to cut ties with him.
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| Chris Sampson said he has been slowed recently by tenderness in his pitching arm, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: After having his ERA hover in the mid ones to the low twos for the first two and a half months of the season, Sampson saw it rise above 3.00 for the first time last Friday. He has given up runs in three of his late five outings. The All-Star break might be all the rest he needs, but a trip to the disabled list could be coming somewhere down the line. His low ERA and 14 holds make him quite valuable in leagues with middle relievers, and he could be worth stashing if he goes on the DL.
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| Chris Sampson is considered day-to-day after leaving Saturday's battle at Arizona with right arm fatigue. |
Our View: It is yet to be determined if the ailment will land Sampson on the DL. His fantasy value is limited as a middle reliever when healthy.
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| According to MLBlogs.com, Astros reliever Chris Sampson injured himself while sitting on the floor playing with his son. |
Our View: Apparently he tweaked his back while horsing around with his kid, but the injury isn't considered serious. It's apparently already loosening up and he expects to be available by tomorrow at the latest.
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| Chris Sampson was not available in Sunday's game against the Braves while nursing a deep bone bruise on his right ankle, and his status for tonight's game at Washington is uncertain, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: Skipper Cecil Cooper noted that there is no guarantee Sampson will be able to go tonight. He has been pitching well in the bullpen with a 1.04 WHIP over 15.1 innings, and the club needs him back with Jose Valverde and Doug Brocail out.
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| Chris Sampson is pitching with a partial tear on his hip's labrum, but there is currently not much concern that the ailment will get worse, according to the Houston Chronicle. Manager Cecil Cooper said, "This is something he is going to have pretty much all year." |
Our View: Sampson could continue to pitch, but needs to be sure the injury does not compromise his mechanics. He holds little fantasy value as a reliever, and only has one strikeout over 10 innings.
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| Chris Sampson is dealing with a small tear in his right hip, but he intends to pitch through the injury, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: He noted that the injury is no big deal, but needs to be sure the pain does not force him to alter his mechanics. He received a cortisone shot for relief, and is expected to be available for tonight's game against the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park.
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| Chris Sampson, who is recovering from elbow surgery, threw his second simulated inning of camp Wednesday without any issues, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: Sampson has been cleared to pitch in a Grapfruit League game Saturday against the Phillies. Barring a setback, he should be ready for the start of the season, but his fantasy value will be limited while likely pitching out of the bullpen.
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| Chris Sampson is slated to make his spring debut Saturday following his recovery from elbow surgery, according to the Houston Chronicle. Sampson threw 30 pitches during a live batting practice session Monday, and will do the same on Wednesday. |
Our View: Sampson should be ready for the start of the season, but his fantasy value will be limited while likely working out of the bullpen.
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| Chris Sampson is making progress in his recovery from his elbow surgery, according to the Houston Chronicle. He threw 40 pitches off a mound Thursday, and reported no pain during or after the session. He said, "I felt good and am on schedule. It is another step. Manager Cecil Cooper said he will put me back in the general population with all the other guys, which is very exciting. Hopefully I will be game ready as soon as possible."
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Our View: Sampson should be ready for the start of the season, but his fantasy value would be limited while working out of the bullpen.
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| MLB.com reports that pitcher Chris Sampson is not likely to make a Grapefruit League appearance until mid-March. He had right elbow surgery in October. |
Our View: Sampson should be ready by opening day, but he would probably initially be used out of the bullpen. He has no fantasy value at this point.
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| Chris Sampson, who underwent elbow surgery last October, is set to throw his first bullpen session of camp today, according to the Houston Chronicle. He said, "It is just another step in the right direction. I had been doing the flat ground sessions. Now, I am throwing every day."
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Our View: Sampson shouldn't push for a rotation spot and will likely only hold value in fantasy leagues that feature middle men.
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| Chris Sampson, who underwent right elbow surgery last October, will be the only pitcher to start spring training behind with the Astros, according to the Houston Chronicle. Sampson said, "On flat ground and mechanical stuff, I will be able to do everything." It will be at least 10 days before he can throw a bullpen session. |
Our View: Sampson shouldn't push for a rotation spot and will likely only hold value in fantasy leagues that feature middle men.
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| Chris Sampson signed a one-year deal today with the Astros, according to SportsTicker. |
Our View: Sampson does not hold any real fantasy value at this point. He was 6-4 with a 4.22 ERA in 54 appearances last season. He did have a good 1.20 WHIP last season so he might be worth keeping an eye on.
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| Chris Sampson is reportedly doing well following elbow surgery, according to the Houston Chronicle. He said, "It's going real good. I get to see the doctor on Thursday." |
Our View: He underwent surgery on October 1. He won't be ready to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, but could hold value to the Astros as a reliever when ready to return to the mound. He held a solid 1.20 WHIP over 117.1 innings in 2008.
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| Chris Sampson underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a lateral extensor tendon in his throwing elbow, according to the AP. |
Our View: The 30-year-old righty is expected to be sidelined 4-6 months. He ended the 2008 season with a 4.22 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
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| MLB.com reports that Chris Sampson confirmed on Thursday that he will undergo surgery to repair a tear in a tendon in his right elbow. Recovery time is expected to range from four to six months. |
Our View: Sampson appeared in 54 games this season and made 11 starts. He was 6-4 with a 4.22 ERA. He will not be ready for the start of Spring Training and likely will not be back until mid-summer 2009.
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| Chris Sampson left Tuesday's game in the seventh inning with right lateral epicondylitis, more commonly known as tennis elbow, according to the AP. He is considered day-to-day. |
Our View: The Astros will likely to the safe thing and shut Sampson down, but it doesn't really matter, since he has no fantasy value anyway.
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| Chris Sampson took advantage of a start picked up due to injury to Roy Oswalt, and he used the chance well in his fourth victory of the season. Sampson allowed a mere two hits, and no walks, in holding the Braves to one run over five innings. |
Our View: Sampson could remain in the rotation depending on whether or not Oswalt finds himself on the DL, but counting on Sampson is akin to playing with fireworks - eventually you are going to get burned.
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| Chris Sampson will make the start on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, taking the turn of Roy Oswalt, who will throw on Tuesday instead, according to Yahoo! Sports. |
Our View: Sampson has not been effective as a starter, carrying a 6.04 era in the ten games he started this year.. He is much better in relief, and has a 2.16 ERA in that role. If you have him as a reliever in NL-only leagues, make sure you don't allow him to make the start on Saturday.
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| Chris Sampson will be the odd man out in the Astros' rotation when Wandy Rodriguez returns from the DL on Wednesday, according to the AP. The righty will be relegated to bullpen duty "He says at this point it's maybe not permanent," Sampson said. "It may be permanent. This game is a funny game and anything can happen. I'm not going to get down. I'm still here in the big leagues, still living a dream." |
Our View: Sampson holds a 6.04 ERA in 10 starts this year, so his demotion doesn't come as a surprise. Brian Moehter retains his spot on the strength of four solid starts.
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| There was one inning of offense for both teams, shared in the same moment, but the Houston Astros managed to prevail over the Chicago Cubs 4-2, a victory built mostly on the arm of RHP Chris Sampson . Sampson went 6 2/3 innings to give up two runs (both earned) on seven hits, sporting just one walk allowed versus four strikeouts. |
Our View: This is Sampson's second win this month in four starts, the others resulting in no decisions.
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| Houston RHP Chris Sampson was solid off the mound in the Astros 5-0 win over the LA Dodgers this evening. Sampson went seven full innings to allow zero runs on just three hits, walking one and striking out three. |
Our View: Sampson has been wildly inconsistent this season, making him a volatile but potentially rewarding fantasy commodity.
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| Chris Sampson allowed five runs on seven hits, walked two and failed to record a strikeout in 4.1 inning of work on Monday night. Sampson lost his third game of the season as the Astros dropped game-one of their three-game series against Arizona. |
Our View: Sampson lost his third game in five starts. His absence of strikeouts against the free swinging Diamondbacks speaks volumes about what kind of stuff he had tonight, and the entire month of April, for that matter.
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| Chris Sampson won his first game of the year by limiting the Reds to two runs over seven innings. Sampson walked one, allowed eight hits and had six K on the night. |
Our View: A great bounce back from his last, ugly, performance. In four starts Sampson has allowed three or fewer runs three times making himself as an intriguing possibility to add to the end of a staff in a deep leagues.
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| Chris Sampson was hammered on Friday for six runs on six hits and two walks to pick up his second loss. |
Our View: So much for his solid start to the season. Sampson is an average pitcher who doesn't put away enough hitters, so he should only be active when the matchup is right.
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| Chris Sampson is battling the flu, but is still scheduled to make his second start of the season tonight against St. Louis, according to the Houston Chronicle. He earned a no decision in his first outing, and will square off against Braden Looper, who is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Hopefully he can fight through the illness and pitch effectively. |
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| Chris Sampson justified his spot in the rotation by holding the Cubs to six hits and two runs over 6.2 innings on Friday. Sampson earned a no-decision, but it was a solid outing by the right-hander. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one. Sampson has value in NL-only leagues and is worth keeping an eye on in deeper mixed leagues. |
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| Astros manager Cecil Cooper confirmed Saturday that Chris Sampson has earned the fifth starter's job, according to MLB.com. The Astros released Woody Williams earlier in the day, which cleared the way for Sampson to join the rotation. He'll make his first start on Friday. |
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| Chris Sampson took a line drive off his right hip on Tuesday and had to leave the game early. "As soon as it happened, I had enough adrenaline going that it wasn't really affecting me," Sampson tells the Houston Chronicle. "I went in for the inning after it happened and it started to tighten up." He is day-to-day, and the issue shouldn't affect his chances to earn the fifth spot in the rotation. |
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| Chris Sampson was scheduled to pitch on Tuesday, but he was a scratch due to a stiff neck, according to the AP. Sampson may move into the rotation at some point this season, but he's likely to begin the season in relief, especially if he misses more games. |
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| Chris Sampson was tagged for three runs on six hits Sunday in a 6-4 loss to the Braves. With the Shawn Chacon signing, Sampson was likely on the outside looking in for a starting job, and this outing certainly isn't going to change that perception. |
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| Chris Sampson had hoped to be in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation for the Astros, but it appears that the signing of Shawn Chacon has scuttled those plans according to MLB.com. "Not that I wasn't working hard before, but if they felt like they needed to go out and sign somebody, then obviously they weren't very confident in the guys that were going for the rotation as of right now. I'm going to go out, pick it up and try to do my best to prove them wrong." Sampson could still end up in the rotation if Chacon or Woody Williams fail to impress, but given his success out of the pen in the past, it seems only natural to assume that Sampson will start the year in the bullpen. |
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| Chris Sampson will sit out the rest of the season with a sprained elbow capsule, the AP reports. "He doesn't have to prove anything to me or the organization," interim manager Cecil Cooper said. "We don't want to take a chance." Sampson went on the disabled list Aug. 3 with an unrelated ligament sprain in his throwing arm. "Up until I sprained my ligament, I was rolling along," he said. "I've had a solid rookie year, I've learned a lot I can build on going into next season." Sampson finished 2007 with a 4.59 ERA over 121 2/3 innings, with 30 walks and 51 strikeouts. |
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| The Astros activated Chris Sampson from the disabled list on Thursday. Sampson had been sidelined since Aug. 1 with a strained right elbow. Interim manager Cecil Cooper said that Sampson will work out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. |
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| Chris Sampson will make two rehab appearances at Triple-A Round Rock over the next week, the AP reports. Sampson has been on the disabled list since Aug. 1 with a sprained elbow. Phil Garner said Sampson will pitch an inning on Thursday, then pitch again on Monday before the Astros evaluate his recovery. |
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| Chris Sampson hopes to gain clearance to make a rehab assignment soon. Sampson, who is recovering from a sprained pitching elbow, threw his third bullpen session Monday. "It went real well," he said to the Houston Chronicle. "I threw about 40 pitches. I threw all my pitches. I had good movement. Command was not too bad. As we expected, I was a little off having not pitched in three weeks with that much intensity." |
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| Chris Sampson, out with a sprained right elbow, felt fine the day after his bullpen session on Tuesday, according to the Houston Chronicle. He's expected to throw another session within the next day or two. |
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| Chris Sampson, on the DL with a sprained right elbow, threw a bullpen session Tuesday at Minute Maid Park for the first time since going on the DL, according to the Houston Chronicle. "It was about probably 80 percent," he said. "I felt fine. There was no bites like it was in the games, which is encouraging. I still didn't feel completely 100 percent. On a scale of one to 10, probably eight. ... After not even touching a ball for a week ... I think we're right on pace." Sampson is expected to throw another session within the next couple of days. |
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| For the first time since spraining an elbow ligament, Chris Sampson was able to play catch for about five minutes on Saturday. "No pain, no nothing," Sampson told the Houston Chronicle. "I didn't throw anything real hard. It was nice and easy, and the ball came out of my hands pretty good. After the last five throws, they said if I was feeling good, I could throw harder. The last five throws were good." He's slated to play some long toss on Sunday. If all continues to go well, he could be activated from the disabled list in about a week. |
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| The Astros placed Chris Sampson on the DL Friday with a right ulnar collateral ligament sprain, according to the AP. He had been scheduled to start on Sunday, but Matt Albers will now start in his place. |
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| Chris Sampson still is expected to start today's game, according to the Houston Chronicle. He was scratched from his scheduled start Friday due to an upper-respiratory infection and was slated to join the Astros on Saturday evening. |
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| Chris Sampson is expected to start Sunday's game for the Astros after being scratched from his scheduled start Friday due to an upper-respiratory infection, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I'm as sick as a dog," Sampson said via phone from Houston Friday. "I was in the emergency room (Thursday) night. They sent me to the emergency room to get some IV in me and some fluid in me. I feel better today. I'm supposed to meet the team tomorrow night and pitch on Sunday." |
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| Chris Sampson was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday against the Cardinals due to a sinus infection, according to the AP. He'll be slotted back into the rotation in a day or two. Woody Williams, Saturday's scheduled starter, got nod on Friday in Sampson's absence. |
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| Chris Sampson said the sore left calf which limited him to five innings on Tuesday felt better yesterday, according to the Houston Chronicle. "It's fine," he said. "The two days off — the rainout (Wednesday) and the day off — helped out. The second day really helped. I was actually jogging on it, and it felt good today." He should be ready for his next start on Tuesday. |
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| Chris Sampson was pulled after five innings last night due to a tender left calf, though he doesn't expect to miss his next scheduled start, according to the Houston Chronicle. "Believe me, I didn't want to come out of the game. But for the long run, it was the best decision," said Sampson, who hasn't allowed a run in eight innings this season. |
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| Chris Sampson earned the win against the Cubs on Tuesday in his first start of the year, throwing five shutout innings, allowing three hits and walking one. He threw only 63 pitches in the outing, 40 for strikes. |
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| Chris Sampson has been named Houston's No. 5 starter, beating out Fernando Nieve for the job, according to the AP. He'll be used out of the bullpen until he makes his first start on April 10. Sampson posted a 2.12 ERA in 12 games this spring. |
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| Chris Sampson was blasted for 10 runs (six earned) on 12 hits and a walk in 2 1/3 innings Thursday. Sampson was already a longshot to win a rotation spot, and this outing almost certainly knocks him out of the competition. |
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| Astros manager Phil Garner announced last night that Chris Sampson will take the mound to start today's game, according to the Houston Chronicle. "He's pitched well," Garner said of Sampson. |
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| Chris Sampson is an option to start for the Astros on Sunday, the team's offical site reports. Jason Hirsh has already been penciled in for Saturday's turn (in place of Roger Clemens); Wandy Rodriguez is another option for Sunday. |
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| Manager Phil Garner said that he would not be afraid to use Chris Sampson in a closing situation, according to the AP. Sampson was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday. He has a 3.52 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in four games (one start) for Houston this year. |
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| The Astros recalled Chris Sampson from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday, according to the AP. Sampson is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA in 15 1/3 IP for Houston this season. |
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| Chris Sampson was called up from Triple-A, according to the AP. He will pitch out of the bullpen with the Astros. In four games (one start) with the Astros earlier in the year, he held a 3.52 ERA. |
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