A.J. Blubaugh #69 of the Houston Astros pitches during the 2024 All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.
Sam Hodde/MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Houston Astros have promoted top pitching prospect A.J. Blubaugh for his first major league start, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers. The Astros’ rookie will square off against undefeated pitcher Jackson Jobe in the finale of the three-game series at home.
Blubaugh appeared at Daikin Park on Tuesday as a member of the team’s “taxi squad,” which is a designated group of players who travel with the team on road trips to be available for immediate replacement of injured players. Astros’ manager Joe Espada expressed that Hayden Wesneski, who would normally be slated to start on Wednesday, would not start on schedule the following day, saying Blubaugh was in contention to start in his spot.
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Wesneski threw 80 pitches in five innings, walking three batters after just issuing one walk all season. He finished with two earned runs on eight hits and one strikeout. He also started just seven of his 28 appearances as the Chicago Cubs’ swingman, but came to Houston with the expectation of being a part of the rotation full-time.
“We’re going to give him a couple of more days to recover from his last start,” Espada said on Tuesday. “Yes, he’s healthy.”
Blubaugh, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound, 24-year-old, was one of the top candidates for promotion going into Spring Training. As a former seventh-round draft pick from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Blubaugh established himself as the No. 3 pitching prospect in the Astros’ organization, as well as the No. 8 overall prospect by Baseball America heading into this season.
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Blubaugh went 12-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 games last season, leading Pacific Coast League pitchers in wins while ranking second in ERA, third in opponent batting average (.250), and fourth in WHIP (1.35) and strikeouts (128). He represented the Astros in last year’s 2024 All-Star Futures Game in Arlington, where he posted a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
So far this season, Blubaugh holds a 3.86 ERA through 21 innings pitched across five starts, averaging 12 strikeouts per nine innings and posting a 1.381 WHIP. His opponents are batting .235 against him and he is particularly successful against right-handed batters, who are hitting .149 against him. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is 2.80. He last tossed 76 pitches through three innings against the Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday, April 23.
