Astros pitching coach Brent Strom and his wife Carrie are in a Friday night Bible study, where prayer requests are common.
When lefty Framber Valdez went down with a broken finger last month, Carrie prayed for Valdez to get well, though no one at the Bible study knew who the pitcher was.
That part didn't matter. All they needed to know is how important Valdez is to Strom's job, and really the Astros overall.
Brent Strom said earlier this week the prayers were answered. Valdez begins the season on the 10-day injured list, but the Astros are hopeful to get him back.
No specific timetable has been set.
"The news on Framber is really, really exciting and good," Strom said Tuesday. "For a while there, what we were looking at was kind of unknown. It's real easy to become very pessimistic, but right now things look very, very good in terms of Framber Valdez and his return."
The Astros knew Valdez would not be ready for Opening Day, but it's a positive sign he's expected to pitch this season at some point, which is different from the initial diagnosis.
While Valdez is on the 10-day IL, it doesn't indicate a timetable for his return, Astros general manager James Click said.
Putting Valdez on the 60-day IL was not an option for procedural reasons, unless the Astros had over 40 players on the roster.
"He is healing very well. We're very excited about what we've seen so far and we're hoping to get him back soon rather than later."
Valdez, one the Astros' best starters, suffered a fractured finger when he fielded a comebacker against Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor in a spring training game.
There was concern the injury could require surgery and cost Valdez the season.