The Houston Astros have actually formally revealed that AJ Blubaugh will take the mound as the beginning pitcher in tomorrow’s video game versus the Detroit Tigers, as reported by different media outlets, consisting of Chandler Rome of The Athletic. This match will include Blubaugh going head-to-head with fellow novice Jackson Jobe, who will be making his Major League Baseball launching. Currently, the Astros have an offered area on their 40-man lineup, so they will require to carry out a matching relocation including a pitcher to accommodate this modification.

Blubaugh, at simply 24 years of ages, has actually become among the most appealing pitching potential customers within a Houston Astros company that is rather doing not have in top-tier arms. The right-handed pitcher was picked in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and he has actually collected a decent 4.02 AGE throughout 268 1/3 innings in the minors. Initially prepared as a reducer, Blubaugh transitioned into a beginning function in 2023, showcasing his capacity by publishing a strong 3.71 AGE throughout 28 looks in the upper levels of the minors system. He has actually shown a remarkable 24.5% strikeout rate paired with a 9.4% walk rate, strengthening his standing as a skill to view.

The 6-foot-2 righty showcased his abilities at last year’s Futures Game, additional sealing his track record as a leading possibility. He has actually regularly ranked amongst the leading 10 potential customers within the Houston Astros system according to both Baseball America and The Athletic (as kept in mind by Keith Law) throughout the offseason. Blubaugh is typically predicted to be a dependable back-end starter, understood for his good command and a mix of pitches that are thought about to be simply above average. Notably, his fastball speed has actually seen an uptick early in the existing season, balancing 93.8 MILES PER HOUR compared to 92.5 MILES PER HOUR throughout his time in Triple-A in 2015. He successfully makes use of a varied selection of 5 pitches, consisting of a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup, enabling him to keep players thinking.

Blubaugh has actually experienced early success in the difficult pitching environment of the Pacific Coast League, presently holding a 3.86 AGE over 21 innings spread out throughout 5 looks. Impressively, he has actually started out 30% of the batters he has actually dealt with, although his walk rate has actually been rather raised at 10.8%. This efficiency positions Blubaugh along with Colton Gordon, both of whom are crucial depth choices for the rotation and presently inhabit areas on the 40-man lineup.

At this point, it stays unsure whether Blubaugh’s launching will be a short-term area start or a more long-term addition to the rotation. Hayden Wesneski was initially slated to pitch on Wednesday, however Manager Joe Espada revealed that Wesneski’s start would be avoided due to issues about his reduced speed showed throughout his last trip on Friday (as reported by Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). Although Espada has actually minimized the possibility of any injury, it deserves keeping in mind that the Astros are understood for supplying restricted information concerning gamer health compared to other groups in the league. Regardless, Blubaugh will have the chance to display his skills a minimum of when in his preliminary call-up to the major leagues.