Houston Astros Promoting Superstar Pitching Prospect to Major Leagues
It's been a brutal year for the Houston Astros and their pitching staff.
Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy are done for the season, Justin Verlander is back on the injured list for the second time, two of their starters aren't expected to be back until after the All-Star break, and their ace Framber Valdez has been just a league-average pitcher.
Because of that, the Astros are looking for any answer who can help this rotation string together consistent performances and allow their offense to win them games so they can get back into the playoff picture.
There was a thought they could become buyers at the trade deadline to address their issues.
Instead, they're going to give another one of their internal options a look for now as Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports Houston is promoting their star pitching prospect Jake Bloss directly from Double-A to the bigs and will make his debut on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles.
"I'm not afraid to move guys fast. He's proving to us he can throw strikes, he's got power stuff and he can log innings. If he continues to progress, you never know. Our rotation has been beaten up a bit. I've been paying a lot of attention to Bloss," general manager Dana Brown previously said.
He clearly feels like it's time to see what the 22-year-old can do.
Bloss was taken in the third round by the Astros in 2023 and he's been impressive since. With their Single-A affiliate that season, he posted a 2.76 ERA across five appearances and four starts. That earned him a promotion to High Single-A to start this year before getting bumped up to Double-A.
In 12 total starts this season, the right-hander has posted a 1.74 ERA.
It will be interesting to see how he pitches at the Major League level. Previous top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti struggled before he found himself after some rough starts.
Bloss will now get the opportunity to showcase what he can do for Houston.
BRAD WAKAI
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai