Houston Astros Reassign Rising Star to Minors as Part of Latest Roster Cuts

The Houston Astros have made some more roster cuts, and one of their rising stars was part of it.

Feb 14, 2024; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Houston Astros pitcher A.J. Blubaugh (69) works out during spring training at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are beginning to trim down their roster ahead of Opening Day.

In the past, there had been little question about who would be on the squad with so many stars and recognizable figures throughout the clubhouse. But after a winter of change, there are more open spots for young players and unheralded veterans to claim this spring.

One of them could be their star prospect Cam Smith.

Acquired in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster towards the beginning of the offseason, the 2024 first-round draft pick has done nothing but impress this spring, putting his name into consideration for an Opening Day roster spot despite just 32 professional games under his belt, none higher than the five he got into at Double-A.

The Astros made another trim to their camp group on Thursday, and Smith was not among them.

But, another rising star for Houston was, with Chandler Rome of The Athletic reporting top prospect A.J. Blubaugh has been reassigned to their minor league camp along with fellow pitcher Blake Weiman and infielder Jesus Bastidas.

Neither of these moves are overly surprising.

While Blubaugh is ranked 11th in the Astros' farm system, he's only had two full professional seasons of experience after being taken in the seventh round of the 2022 draft.

The right-hander could be a factor for Houston at some point this year, though.

Reaching the Triple-A level in 2024, he had a great showing with a 12-4 record across his 27 outings and 25 starts, putting up a 3.83 ERA in 124.2 innings pitched with 128 strikeouts.

But he struggled in spring training, giving up nine earned runs in 8.2 innings pitched during his four appearances, allowing eight hits and opponents to bat .242 against him.

More work in the minors won't hurt the 24-year-old, especially because it seems like the Astros want to use him as a starting pitcher going forward after he began his career split between being used out of the bullpen and to begin games.

As for Bastidas and Weiman, they were both added as depth pieces at different times.

Weiman was signed to a minor league deal this winter, and despite being an eighth-round pick in 2017, he has yet to make his Major League debut.

Bastidas was brought in ahead of the 2024 campaign, and even though he doesn't have any MLB experience, he provides some insurance for an infield group that is losing Jose Altuve to the outfield because of the shortcomings of that unit.