Valdez (3-4) was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock after taking the loss Wednesday against the Pirates, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. He gave up six runs on eight hits across only three innings and had two strikeouts and one walk.
Wednesday's performance made back-to-back poor outings for Valdez, who allowed 11 runs across his last 6.1 innings. The 25-year-old's stint in the starting rotation may have been coming to an end regardless, considering the Astros won't require a fifth starter again until after the All-Star break. Valdez has a 4.57 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 41:19 K:BB over 45.1 major-league innings this season.