HOUSTON -- Less than two weeks after losing starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski to season-ending Tommy John surgery, the Astros’ rotation was dealt another blow Wednesday when manager Joe Espada announced starter Ronel Blanco was also headed for Tommy John surgery and would be out for the rest of the season.
Blanco, who threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays in his first start of 2024 en route to a breakout season as a 30-year-old, is the third member of Houston’s five-man rotation that started the season to wind up on the injured list, joining Wesneski and Spencer Arrighetti.
Blanco went 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA last year and led MLB in opponents’ average against (.190) among qualified starters while throwing a career-high 167 1/3 innings. In nine starts for the Astros this season, Blanco was 3-4 with 4.10 ERA in 48 1/3 innings.
“It’s very, very hard to have a conversation with any of your players when they’re going to miss the remainder of the season,” Espada said. “[It’s] very, very difficult. I know how hard he’s worked to get to this point, and it stinks. The goal is now to get him healthy, get him back at some point next season.”
In all, the Astros have six starting pitchers on the IL, four of whom had or will have Tommy John surgery -- Wesneski, Blanco, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia. J.P. France had surgery to repair a torn right shoulder capsule, and Arrighetti resumed throwing Monday after breaking his thumb in a freak accident on April 7. He should return in July.
“It’s very, very hard,” Espada said. “We went through it last year, but as the leader of this team I have to keep these guys focused on the goal, which is: We’re still the best team in the [AL] West, and with this news, we have to pick each other up. Somebody else will come up and pick those innings up. We’ve been through this, but it’s always difficult to lose any of our guys.”
Blanco’s injury seemingly came out of nowhere. He took the loss against the Rangers on May 17 after giving up three earned runs over six innings in a 5-1 defeat. Blanco threw 92 pitches and appeared to be healthy, but reported elbow soreness two days later.
“We never saw this one coming,” Espada said.
The Astros’ current five-man rotation is anchored by Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, two of the best starters in the AL. Rookies Ryan Gusto and Colton Gordon now become rotation mainstays, with veteran Lance McCullers Jr. slated for his fifth start of the season Wednesday after missing the previous 2 1/2 seasons following major arm surgery.
Others to start a game on the mound for the Astros this year are the team’s No. 9 prospect AJ Blubaugh (April 30) and lefty Brandon Walter (May 20).
Blanco -- a former infielder who switched to pitching at 18 years old and visited several academies in the Dominican Republic before the Astros eventually signed him for $5,000 -- is a terrific underdog story. He was working part-time at a car wash in 2016 to help support his mother, Maria, when he was signed.
Blanco was in Houston’s rotation to begin the 2024 season because of injuries to Justin Verlander and José Urquidy, and he no-hit the Blue Jays in his eighth Major League start on April 1, 2024. A week before his no-hitter, he was told by Espada he had won the final spot in the rotation -- on the same day he and his wife welcomed their second child.
“I remember last year when I told him he was going to make the team on the mound on the day he was having the birth of his child,” Espada said. “Today we’re having a conversation about him missing the remainder of the year. It’s very, very difficult, but Blanco’s a strong man. He’ll bounce back, and we expect him next year to come back and be strong.”