Astros Reassign Former and Current Top Pitching Prospects in Latest Cuts
There are a lot of questions about what the Houston Astros' pitching staff will look like on Opening Day.
With so much changeover in the bullpen, manager Joe Espada will have to work with the front office on what the best course of action is there.
Justin Verlander getting placed on the injured list also didn't help them any as there will likely be some role variance to start the season.
When the Astros lost three of their high-end bullpen arms from last year to free agency and Kendall Graveman likely for the whole season because of an injury, there was a thought they would turn to their former and current top prospects to fill these voids.
General manager Dana Brown had said as much throughout the winter.
The top two options seemed to be Forrest Whitley and Spencer Arrighetti.
Whitley was Houston's No. 1 overall prospect from 2018-2021, but suspensions and injuries have kept the 26-year-old from ever appearing in a Major League game.
He switched his primary focus to becoming a reliever this offseason with the thought he could become a factor for the Astros this year.
Arrighetti is currently their No. 3 rated prospect and was drawing some high praise early on in camp. He was seen as a potential option to be used as well.
But, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that neither will get that opportunity on the Opening Day roster as Houston reassigned Arrighetti and optioned Whitley to their minor league camp.
Arrighetti isn't overly surprising.
Even though he's a talented pitcher, the 24-year-old has struggled with his command throughout his three-year minor league career, one of the reasons why his ERA is 4.44.
Giving him more time to develop seems like the smart decision.
However, Whitley is the one that draws a bit of surprise.
It felt like he was going to have a real shot at making the Opening Day roster with so many questions present about who is going to fill out the Astros' bullpen.
Picking up an injury to his finger so he couldn't appear in any Spring Training games certainly didn't help his case.
These players will be ones to monitor during the year as they could be the first call-ups if injuries or poor performances occur.
