The news was expected: The Astros sent Ronel Blanco to Triple-A Sugar Land and called up Miguel Ullola.
Blanco, 32, was activated from the 60-day injured list to rejoin the Houston Astros rotation. His debut this season came on July 20 against the Miami Marlins . He allowed two home runs and four runs over 4.2 innings, with eight strikeouts and three walks. The Astros managed to come back and secured an 8-5 victory.
The next three starts by the Dominican right-hander were puzzling. In 14.2 innings, he allowed 13 hits, 11 earned runs, four home runs and a combined 6.75 ERA. He was able to get past the fifth inning in only one game. His last appearance came as a reliever last Saturday against the Seattle Mariners . Blanco entered to pitch in the sixth inning. He covered four innings in relief, but was once again hit hard, allowing seven hits - including a home run - and five runs.
In his six outings, he allowed at least one home run: three against the slider and two while throwing the four-seam fastball and curveball, respectively. Blanco suffered a right elbow injury that required surgery in June 2025, in addition to a flexor tendon repair. The process kept him out of action for more than a year. Since his return, he has not been able to show the dominance he displayed during his best moments with the Astros between 2022 and 2024.
Let's look at a comparison of his three seasons in Houston and the last two.
2022-2024:4.8 bWAR, 36 GS, 15-7, 3.31 ERA, 123 ERA+, 4.60 FIP, 2.25 SO/BB.
2025-2026:0.2 bWAR, 13 GS, 3-5, 5.27 ERA, 79 ERA+, 5.14 FIP, 2.13 SO/BB.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco. Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
His ERA rose by almost two runs, and his FIP also jumped above 5.00. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was quite similar, so the damage he received depended more on the impact of hitters when putting the ball in play.
Hitters are destroying his pitch mix. That's the biggest concern surrounding Blanco, who has lost nearly two miles per hour on his four-seam fastball and some of the precision he had with his best command.
Here are three keys Blanco will need to work on in Triple-A to adjust and become reliable for the Astros in the Major Leagues again.
Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco (56). Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As we saw before, this is the most negative aspect of Blanco's return. His Solid% has risen to 7.4%, the highest since 2022. That doesn't point directly to his problems, but the increase in Barrels per plate appearance (7.9%) does.
The more hard-hit balls Blanco allows at high exit velocities, the more opportunities hitters will have to produce and create complicated situations. The increase in Barrels was also accompanied by an Avg Exit Velocity of 89.1 mph, the highest since 2025, per Statcast .
When the quality of the opposition's contact is improving at such a disproportionate level, it's difficult for command errors to be concentrated on a single pitch. And that's the other point Blanco will have to solve, since the mix of his fastball and slider, two of his main weapons-not forgetting the changeup-has also been exposed.
Blanco is throwing more pitches in the strike zone. His Zone% has risen to 50.5%, but the main adjustment he needs is to avoid quality contact. His fastball is also generating a lower Whiff% in the strike zone. Let's look at the heat map.
Ronel Blanco Fastballs Whiff% Chart. | BrooksBaseball.
It's easy to notice the inconsistency: hitters have frequently missed against the four-seam fastball in the upper part of the zone, but that trend has not been reflected in the results. The .652 xSLG exposes Blanco's problems when his pitches pass through the strike zone. The slugging samples are small, but enough to help us understand the magnitude of the situation.
Blanco has never stood out for his high velocity, but in the past, the command of his fastball made a big difference.
The change has turned the slider into a feast for hitters: 2025? The league whiffed on 42.4% of its swings against Blanco's slider. 2026? Only 17.9%. No other pitch has had such an alarming drop. Blanco's slider's run value has worsened to -5. Before the injury, it recorded +17, the highest mark of any of his pitches in his entire career.
Ronel Blanco Slider Slugging Chart. | BrooksBaseball.
When the pitches stay middle-middle, or in the middle toward the inside against right-handed hitters, the slider completely loses its bite. Now look at the averages when the pitch moves away toward the outside corner against right-handers, which becomes the inner part of the zone when facing left-handers. Yes, the farther the pitches move away from the attack zone, the better the situation becomes for Blanco.
On the other hand, if hitters know they can hit Blanco's fastball, then there will be some good at-bats where they will feel more comfortable against his breaking pitches or changeup. Baseball is so fascinating that, even when you see the numbers, there are still many stories to discover behind them.
The story isn't that hitters have lost respect for Blanco's fastball. What the reports reveal is that his velocity has lost consistency and his location is failing both with the fastball and his slider, two key weapons for challenging the opposition.
The redemption story begins now, but the analytics suggest Blanco will have to recover much more than his confidence. His velocity, fastball command and the effectiveness of his slider will be key to becoming the pitcher the Astros need in the Major Leagues again.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Three Adjustments Ronel Blanco Needs to Become Reliable in MLB Again .
