Wesneski isn't expected to make his next start until the Astros' three-game series in Milwaukee early next week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Manager Joe Espada relayed Tuesday that Wesneski isn't dealing with an injury, but the Astros are eager to build in some extra rest for the right-hander after he lacked his usual efficiency in his most recent start Friday, when he recorded a season-low one strikeout and threw 51 of his 80 pitches for strikes in a 2-0 loss to the Royals. With Wesneski not scheduled to pitch this week, the Astros called up AJ Blubaugh from Triple-A Sugar Land to start Wednesday against the Tigers, and a sixth starter will be added to the mix against the White Sox on Sunday, when Lance McCullers (forearm) is scheduled to come off the 15-day injured list to make his 2025 debut with Houston.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Making season debut Sunday
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McCullers (forearm) will return from the 15-day injured list Sunday and will start in the Astros' series finale against the White Sox in Chicago, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCullers will be taking the hill for the Astros for the first time since the 2022 World Series, after a prolonged recovery from June 2023 flexor tendon surgery kept him out of action for the entirety of the past two seasons. The right-hander was cleared to resume facing hitters in late February and steadily ramped up to close out spring training before beginning a minor-league rehab assignment March 30. Across four starts between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, McCullers logged a 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 12.2 frames, including a five-inning scoreless appearance in his final outing Saturday. He built up to 71 pitches in that start, so McCullers could be operating with a slight workload restriction in his 2025 Astros debut. Houston may also be keen on building extra rest for McCullers between starts, so it wouldn't be surprising if the team expanded its rotation to six men for the next few weeks.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Giving way to Rodgers on Wednesday
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Dubon is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brendan Rodgers will get the nod at second base Wednesday, but Dubon may have inched ahead of him on the depth chart. Dubon has started at the keystone in four of the last seven games, with Rodgers drawing two starts and Jose Altuve getting one during that stretch. Though the playing time has been tilting in his favor of late, Dubon still has some work to do before solidifying himself as an everyday player; he's slashing just .209/.261/.256 over 47 plate appearances on the season.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Receiving day off
Rotowire
Diaz is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Diaz started at catcher in each of the previous four contests, so he'll get a breather for Wednesday's matinee. Victor Caratini is behind the dish and batting fifth for the Astros.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Grabbing seat Wednesday
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Alvarez is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Alvarez exited Monday's game with an undisclosed injury but was back in the lineup Tuesday, so this appears to simply be a routine day off. Jose Altuve is in the designated hitter spot Wednesday, while Zach Dezenzo will handle left field and bat eighth.
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Astros' AJ Blubaugh: Called up for MLB debut
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The Astros selected Blubaugh's contract from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Tigers in Houston.
Blubaugh will be making his MLB debut Wednesday, but with Lance McCullers (forearm) seemingly on track to return from the 15-day injured list next week, the 24-year-old is likely headed back to Sugar Land regardless of how he performs versus Detroit. The young right-hander has struck out 28 batters and has allowed just one home run over 21 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this season, but walks have been an issue (10.8 BB%).
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Astros' Bryan Abreu: Goes on paternity leave
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The Astros placed Abreu on the paternity list Wednesday.
Abreu will be away from the Astros for between one and three games while he welcomes a new addition to his family. He'll temporarily cede his spot on the 26-man active roster to right-hander AJ Blubaugh, who was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of his first MLB start Wednesday against the Tigers.
Hader allowed two earned runs on two hits and no walks while striking out one across one inning Tuesday against the Tigers.
Hader entered the game in the ninth inning with Houston up 6-2. He got the first two outs without incident, but then served up a double and a two-run home run. These were the first earned runs Hader has surrendered since Opening Day, and he owns a stellar 20:3 K:BB across 15 frames.
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Astros' Isaac Paredes: Showing patience at plate
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Paredes went 1-for-2 with a triple, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Tigers.
Paredes has at least one hit in seven of his last eight games, going 9-for-29 in that span. More impressively, he's managed four walks while striking out only twice in that same sample. Paredes tallied his first triple of the season Tuesday, raising his ISO to .159 across 125 plate appearances for the season.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Tallies three RBI in win
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Diaz went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Tuesday's win over Detroit.
Despite not recording an extra-base hit, Diaz tallied three RBI on Tuesday. The 26-year-old backstop has endured a sluggish start to the campaign overall, but he's fared better at the plate of late. Diaz is batting .270 (10-for-37) with one home run, one double, six RBI and five runs scored over his last 10 games, and he has at least one knock in six of his last seven outings.
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Astros' AJ Blubaugh: Confirmed for Wednesday start
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Blubaugh will start Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Blubaugh was added to Houston's taxi squad Tuesday while the team debated on relying on its bullpen or a spot starter Wednesday to give Hayden Wesneski a couple of extra days to rest. The Astros opted for the latter, creating an opportunity for the 24-year-old righty to make his MLB debut. Blubaugh has turned in a 3.86 ERA and 1.38 WHIP across 21 innings at Triple-A Sugar Land this season, and he'll be welcomed to the majors by the American League's fourth-highest scoring offense.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Fans six in no-decision
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Gusto didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Tigers after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out six.
Gusto tied a season high with six punchouts, and he was also able to generate 12 whiffs Tuesday. However, his two walks represented a season worst, and he couldn't get through the fifth inning despite throwing a season-high 90 pitches. Over 27 innings in 2025, the rookie right-hander has still been a pleasant surprise for the Astros with a 3.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 29:6 K:BB so far. With Lance McCullers (forearm) on the verge of being activated from the injured list, Gusto is still in danger of losing his rotation spot.
Manager Joe Espada said McCullers (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday before the Astros determine whether he's ready to be reinstated from the injured list, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander has a 2.84 ERA and 16:6 K:BB across four rehab outings, and if all goes well Wednesday, he could make his next start in the majors. McCullers hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2022 while recovering from arm issues, so it's a good idea to keep expectations in check despite his track record as a top-level starter prior to the injuries.
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Astros' AJ Blubaugh: Candidate to start Wednesday
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Blubaugh is with the Astros as a member of the taxi squad and is a candidate to start Wednesday against the Tigers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Hayden Wesneski is being pushed back in the rotation a couple days to provide him some extra rest, so Houston is in need of a spot starter. However, Blubaugh isn't guaranteed to start since the Astros have a team day off Thursday, so a bullpen day could be employed if the unit is in good shape after Tuesday's contest. The right-hander has a 3.86 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB across 21 innings so far this season with Triple-A Sugar Land.
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Astros' Hayden Wesneski: Getting extra rest
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Manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Wesneski is healthy but won't make his scheduled turn through the rotation Wednesday against the Tigers in order to get him some extra rest, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander labored in his last start Friday versus the Royals, as he issued three walks after handing out just one in his first four starts of the year. Wesneski has worked as a swingman in the majors prior to this year with 22 starts in 68 appearances, so it's not a huge surprise he'll require some extra rest here and there. The Astros haven't announced who will start instead Wednesday, but A.J. Blubaugh is a likely candidate and is on the taxi squad, per Rome. Wesneski now appears poised to take the mound Friday on the road versus the White Sox.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Back in lineup Tuesday
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Alvarez (undisclosed) will start at designated hitter and bat third in Tuesday's game versus the Tigers.
Alvarez was pulled from Monday's game with an undisclosed injury after hitting a single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Whatever he was dealing with evidently was not a big deal, as he will not have to miss any starts.
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Astros' Cam Smith: Not in Houston lineup
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Smith is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Tigers.
Smith is just 4-for-22 at the plate since his two-homer game April 18 and is now out of the lineup for the third time across the Astros' last six tilts. Zach Dezenzo is in right field and batting seventh for Houston.
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