Houston Astros Top Pitching Prospect Rocked in MLB Debut

The Houston Astros pressed Spencer Arrighetti into his Major League debut on Wednesday as they work around injuries to several starting pitchers.

Apr 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (41) pitching / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Astros top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti made his Major League debut on Wednesday night against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufmann Stadium.

The Astros demoted reliever Wander Suero to Triple-A Sugar Land to make room for Arrighetti on the staff. To make room for him on the 40-man roster they designated catcher Cooper Hummel for assignment.

Arrighetti started the game by striking out Maikel Garcia, followed by striking out Bobby Witt Jr. He walked Vinnie Pasquantino but then got Salvador Perez to pop out to end the first inning.

He then worked around a one-out single by Nelson Velazquez in the second inning.

After that, things got out of hand fast.

In the third inning Arrighetti gave up seven runs, as Pasquantino doubled home two runs, Velazquez singled home two runs and Adam Frazier singled home another run. The Royals ended the inning with a two RBI double from Hunter Renfroe.

Houston brought in Brandon Bielak to start the fourth inning with the Astros down 7-2.

Arrighetti threw 79 pitches in his debut, with 47 strikes. He gave up seven hits and three walks while striking out three. He left the game with an ERA of 21.00.

The Astros reportedly made the decision to call up Arrighetti on Tuesday night after they moved left-hander Framber Valdez to the 15-day injured list.

That means five starting pitchers are on the injured list — Valdez, Justin Verlander, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr.

Arrighetti is the Houston's No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com and the No. 1 ranked pitcher. He was assigned to Triple-A to start the season, but he spent time in Major League spring training with the Astros.

Arrighetti has already made two starts with Triple-A Sugar Land, where he has a 2.16 ERA in 8.1 innings. For his minor league career the 2021 sixth-round pick is 19-15 with a 4.37 ERA.