Astros Star Pitcher 'Still Has a Ways To Go' in His Recovery

It's going to be a while before this Houston Astros starter is back in the mix.

Mar 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (41) walks in the dugout before the game against the New York Mets at Daikin Park | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The tale of starting pitching injuries continues for the Houston Astros.

Ronel Blanco has now been moved to the injured list and will seek a second opinion on his elbow injury, something that is eerily similar to what happened with Hayden Wesneski who will now undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

That's not to say the same thing will happen for Blanco, but searching for another opinion on any injury is never a great sign.

The Astros will have to hope their healthy starters and options on the farm can step up and produce while they wait for others to return.

Someone Houston is hoping to get back at some point is Spencer Arrighetti.

The former top prospect didn't get off to a great start this year with a 5.58 ERA across his two starts, but after he suffered a broken right thumb on a freak accident at the beginning of April, he hasn't had the chance to turn things around.

Arrighetti is going to be out for an extended period of time despite being on the 15-day injured list, and this update by Chandler Rome of The Athletic provided some optimism but also highlighted how much further he has to go before coming back.

Spencer Arrighetti is out of his cast and starting to do some gripping exercises with his right hand, Joe Espada said. Still not throwing. Still has a ways to go.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 22, 2025

Getting out of the cast is a huge first step.

And now that he's starting to do some gripping exercises, that should allow him to start getting to the point where he can grab a baseball without pain so he can begin some sort of throwing program.

When that might be is anyone's guess, though.

Arrighetti's expected return date is around July, so until that point, Houston has to hope his recovery continues to go smoothly and their other pitchers can solidfy things.