Even after the All-Star break, the Houston Astros starting pitching rotation has yet to put it all together and deliver. The group has gotten healthier as the season has gone on, but the stability has still not returned.
While Peter Lambert continues to surprisingly be the best of the group with his consistency, more help is needed. Hunter Brown has struggled after his return from injury, and Spencer Arrighetti hasn't performed the way he did earlier in the year.
The good news for the Astros is that another prominent arm that was on the injured list is now officially ready to rejoin the team. Right-hander Ronel Blanco will c ome off the IL on Monday and start the series opener against the Miami Marlins in Houston in a great development for the Astros.
This will be Blanco's season debut and his first start with Houston in just over a year since he underwent Tommy John surgery last June. That procedure was also to repair the flexor tendon. It's been a long time coming for him after this lengthy recovery and a moment that has been highly anticipated for since the start of the season.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Daikin Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Blanco is all set for his first start in an Astros uniform in over 14 months. He has looked great in his five minor league rehab outings this year with a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings pitched. The 32-year-old made five appearances, four of them starts, and gave up just one home run while he struck out 13. He did walk six batters.
Blanco's rehab assignment began just over a month ago on June 19 at the FCL rookie-level affiliate of the Astros, and he quickly made his way up with two starts at Double-A Corpus Christi before he joined Triple-A Sugar Land on July 7 for a couple more appearances. Blanco had a 0.00 ERA in 6.1 innings for the Space Cowboys.
It looks like the Astros felt confident in his recovery thus far, but the team's need for more reliable starting pitching could have accelerated the process. Tatsuya Imai is scheduled to go on Tuesday, while Peter Lambert will be back on the mound Wednesday. The Astros still have a 5.20 starter ERA, which is the third-worst in baseball.
While Blanco had pitched for the Astros in the regular season in 2022 and 2023 in both the bullpen and as a starter, he really emerged as one of the best starters on the team in 2024. Blanco rose to true prominence after his no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays to start his 2024 season.
He went 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA in 29 starts and threw almost 170 innings. Blanco struck out 166 that year and gave up just a .190 average, which was the best in baseball. Blanco made nine starts in 2025 with a 4.10 ERA before getting injured with right elbow inflammation.
Houston Astros pitcher Hayden Wesneski | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He will be the 14th different starting pitcher for the Astros this season. There was more positive news regarding pitching injuries as right-hander Hayden Wesneski will also be making his return to the team quite soon. In fact, Astros manager Dana Brown said on SportsTalk 790 that Wesneski could possibly start on Friday.
The 28-year-old was a part of the Kyle Tucker trade to the Chicago Cubs and made six starts last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery as well. He's currently looked solid in his minor league rehab outings with a 2.87 ERA in four starts.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Ronel Blanco's 2026 Debut Could Be the Boost the Astros Rotation Has Been Missing .
