Astros Need Offseason Acquisition to Step Up After Injury to Key Starting Pitcher

The Houston Astros will have to rely even more on their off-season trade acquisition.

Cameron Zunkel | Apr 10, 2025

Apr 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski (39) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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Houston Astros

The Houston Astros were dealt a brutal blow when one of their key starting pitchers, Spencer Arrighetti, broke his thumb after being hit with a ball during his pregame catch play.

That injury leaves a hole in the starting rotation that is going to be very hard to fill.

As it stands right now, the starting rotation features Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski.

Valdez and Brown are the 1-2 punch that is needed in back-to-back games, especially as the season goes on. They have a combined 2.70 ERA in 30.0 innings pitched. Along with that, the two aces have struck out 36 batters while allowing just 19 hits.

Ronel Blanco is not off to the start the Astros hoped for. He is coming off a great season in 2024, but his 9.45 ERA and 2.10 WHIP suggest something might be different this year. Houston needs him to start pitching a lot better, but he is not in danger of losing his spot in the rotation.

The pitcher that truly needs to step up is Hayden Wesneski.

The Astros acquired Wesneski from the Chicago Cubs in the offseason when they traded away Kyle Tucker.

With the Cubs, Wesneski appeared in 68 games, including 22 starts. The right-hander threw 190.0 total innings, struck out 183 batters and his ERA was 3.93. His slider was always his best pitch, but the fastball needed some work. That is why Wesneski was not a mainstay in the Cubs rotation.

This season, the 27-year-old has made two starts, thrown 12.0 innings, struck out 11 batters, walked only three and opponents are batting .122 off him.

The one thing that has changed with him from his time in Chicago to now is his pitch usage.

Wesneski is throwing his fastball, cutter and changeup a lot more. With that, his sweeper usage has fallen from 40.7% to 17.6%. Houston has wanted him to attack with his four-seam fastball, which allows him to play all of his secondary pitches off of that pitch. In fact, his fastball this season has a much higher whiff and strikeout percentage.

The Astros are figuring out how to unlock Wesneski's true potential. Houston will need the former sixth-round pick to continue to pitch the way he has been. With Arrighetti out, the Astros are going to rely on him a lot more.

The reason his success is so important is the Astros have two reliable starting pitchers right now. Valdez and Brown can be counted on each time they take the mound, but Blanco's stats last season indicated a bit of luck.

If Wesneski continues to pitch well, he would be the third reliable pitcher in the rotation.

If the Astros are going to compete in the AL West and make the playoffs once again, they are going to need Wesneski to be a big part of their team.

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