The Houston Astros have spent much of the season searching for stability in their starting rotation, and for the past two months those answers have ranged from adequate to catastrophic. With the club sitting three games under .500 entering the final week before the All-Star break, reinforcements are finally on the way.
Ronel Blanco is ready. The right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June after posting a 2.80 ERA and throwing a no-hitter in 2024, has made four minor league rehab starts and is expected to be activated as soon as this weekend. Manager Joe Espada has not committed to a date, but Blanco has progressed rapidly from the FCL to Double-A to Triple-A and, by all accounts, looks like the pitcher he was before surgery. Lance McCullers Jr. made his third rehab start Tuesday and threw five innings—his longest outing since returning from a rotator cuff impingement—and could follow Blanco back to Houston within the week.
The timing could hardly be more important. After taking two of three from the Rays—the American League’s best team entering the series—the Astros begin a demanding stretch in which five of their next six series come against clubs currently at or above .500. Espada challenged his team to reach .500 before the All-Star break, but doing so will require the kind of consistent starting pitching Houston has lacked for much of the season.
When Blanco and McCullers are healthy and effective, the Astros’ rotation looks meaningfully different. Spencer Arrighetti appears to be settling back in after a difficult June. Hunter Brown has been reliable in most of his starts since returning from a shoulder injury. Cristian Javier is currently in the bullpen but remains available if needed as a starter. Add Blanco and McCullers, and suddenly Houston has the kind of rotation depth it has lacked since April.
That depth will force difficult decisions. Mike Burrows appears to be the straightforward one. He has made 17 starts and carries a 5.99 ERA—the highest among Houston’s regular starters—and Monday’s outing in Washington only strengthened the case for a move out of the rotation. His durability has helped stabilize an injury-riddled staff, but his performance has made his role increasingly difficult to justify.
Imai presents a different kind of problem. His flashes of dominance have been impossible to ignore, but so has his inconsistency. Start to start, the Astros have rarely known which version they’re going to get. For a team trying to climb back to .500 before the All-Star break and navigate a schedule filled with contenders, that unpredictability becomes a liability.
McCullers adds another wrinkle. Before landing on the injured list, he posted a 6.86 ERA in eight starts and may initially return in a bullpen role while continuing to build strength. Whether he immediately reclaims a rotation spot or has to earn it remains to be seen.
Blanco’s return alone will not fix everything. But it is the kind of reinforcement the Astros have been waiting on since March. The rotation they envisioned is finally beginning to take shape. With Espada’s challenge to reach .500 before the All-Star break still within reach, it’s time to see whether it can deliver.
