Inside the Astros

Astros Choose Disappointing Replacement After Losing Starter To Freak Injury

The Houston Astros called up a struggling pitcher to replace Spencer Arrighetti.

Tyler Maher

Feb 22, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Luis Contreras (73) throws a pitch in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Feb 22, 2025; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Luis Contreras (73) throws a pitch in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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Monday was a rough day for the Houston Astros. Not only did they watch Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker win awards with their new teams, but they also lost a key player to a freak injury.

Prior to Monday's game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti was hit by a line drive while playing catch on the field during batting practice. He suffered a broken right thumb and will be out for a while.

On Tuesday morning, the Astros placed Arrighetti on the injured list and recalled a struggling pitcher from Triple-A Sugar Land to take his place on the pitching staff.

According to a report from Ari Alexander of KPRC 2, Houston is calling up right-handed reliever Luis Contreras to replace Arrighetti. Contreras will immediately join the team in Seattle.

The move comes less than 24 hours after Contreras was optioned to Triple-A on Monday. The Astros selected right-handed pitcher Logan VanWey from Triple-A to replace him after moving Luis Garcia to the 60-day injured list.

Contreras, 28, is in his second season with Houston. He made the Astros' Opening Day roster but was quickly sent down after posting an 8.44 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over his first four appearances.

He struggled last year as well with 9.00 ERA in five appearances, so he hasn't shown much promise at the Major League level yet. Many Houston fans have already lost their patience with him and supported his demotion on Monday, wanting to see someone else get a chance.

Unfortunately for them, Contreras is already back. Rather than getting a chance to work through his struggles and regain his confidence in the minor leagues, he'll try to do it in the Big Leagues.

The early returns haven't been positive, so Astros fans can only hope he figures it out sooner rather than later, especially with the team off to an underwhelming 4-6 start.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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