Health is starting to look like the Astros’ best midseason acquisition.
With Houston still fighting in the American League playoff race, the rotation could get a much-needed jolt soon from a pair of injured starters. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski both took important steps last week in rehab outings for Triple-A Sugar Land, and each appears close to rejoining the big league club.
Blanco, who has been out since March 25 with a torn UCL in his right elbow, worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his rehab assignment. That puts him on track to return soon after the All-Star break.
Wesneski is also trending toward a comeback. He has missed the entire season because of a torn UCL in his right elbow, but he threw 4 2/3 innings for Sugar Land last week, allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven and walking none. His target is a return in late July.
For an Astros staff that has been underwhelming in the starting five all season, getting both arms back would be a major lift. Houston needs help, and these two could change the look of the rotation quickly.
There are still plenty of names on the injured list. Carlos Correa and Brandon Walter are both out until 2027, which takes them out of the picture for 2026 entirely.
That leaves Kai-Wei Teng, Bennett Sousa, Brice Matthews and Mike Burrows as the other injured Astros who could still help before the season moves much further along.
Of that group, Burrows is the one whose timetable remains the murkiest. The others seem closer.
Matthews is dealing with a left knee injury after crashing it into the wall while trying to make a catch on July 12 against the Texas Rangers. The injury is not considered serious, and a return after the All-Star break looks likely.
Sousa has been out since May 9 with left elbow inflammation, but he took a positive step with a rehab outing on July 11 at Triple-A. That outing gave him a path back to Daikin Park and a chance to help out of the bullpen.
Teng also got back on the mound this past week, pitching July 13 for the FCL Astros. His return date is still uncertain, but if his recovery keeps moving in the right direction, he should be back in the near future.
In Other News...
Astros Bat Suddenly Lands In Another Wave Of Trade Buzz
The Astros are back in the middle of trade chatter again, this time because their roster keeps surfacing in conversations around what Boston might do before the deadline. The Red Sox are trying to keep momentum going as they head into a doubleheader with Tampa Bay, and with the club back in the playoff mix, the front office is weighing upgrades across the board. Houston has become part of that discussion after already making a notable move this summer, which only adds to the sense that teams are watching the Astros closely.
For Boston, the appeal is familiar: a player with the kind of profile that fits a contender looking for offense and flexibility, and one who was already tied to the Red Sox more than anyone else during the offseason. Even with the deadline still ahead, the chatter around Houston suggests the Astros could be a source of help for a rival trying to sharpen its roster for the stretch run, and the connection is strong enough to keep the speculation alive. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Need To Show Their Deadline Intentions With This Move
With the trade deadline approaching and the American League still looking wide open, Houston finds itself in a familiar but uneasy spot: close enough to matter, not quite far enough along to feel safe. The Astros are 47-51, which leaves the front office weighing whether to add help for a playoff push, stay put and trust the current group, or use the moment to turn pieces into future value.
What makes the next move so important is that the roster seems to need a specific kind of upgrade, and the deadline is the cleanest place to find it. Houston has to show whether it believes this season is still worth pressing into, because sitting on the fence would say as much about the organizations view of the club as any trade it makes. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Pea Is Now In Trade Talk Astros Fans Hate Seeing
Jeremy Pea has landed in the kind of trade chatter that usually says more about a players value than his availability, and for Astros fans, it is the sort of noise that lands badly. Peas all-around game has made him one of the more attractive names on the market in theory, but the Astros also know what life looks like without him, and it has not been pretty.
His importance goes beyond the highlight plays and the steady defense. When Pea was on the injury list earlier this season, Houston went 13-20, a reminder of how thin the margin can be when a lineup loses its shortstop. Any team asking about him would have to pay up, and with the Astros still thinking about October, that is exactly why this feels more like trade talk than a real possibility. [Read more 🡒]