Houston Astros Replace Ace In Rotation After Calling Up Prospect

The Houston Astros shook up their rotation prior to their game on April 8 after calling up one of their prospects to get the start.

Blair Henley pitches for the Hooks during the exhibition game against Texas A&M-Kingsville at Whataburger Field on April 4, 2023, in Corpus Christi, Texas. / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY

Entering the series finale against their rivals on Monday, the Houston Astros sit in unfamiliar territory during their dynastic run as they hold a 3-7 record after getting off to a rough start.

To split the four-game slate against the Texas Rangers, they'll have to do it with a player making his Major League debut.

Ace Framber Valdez was originally slated to start, but Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reported the Astros have called up Blair Henley and will have him take the place of their left-handed star.

Henley was a seventh round pick in 2019 and got his career off to a good start with an ERA of 1.60 across 11 appearances, two as the starter, and 33 2/3 innings pitched at the Single-A level.

Things went downhill for the right-hander after that as the minor league season was cancelled in 2020 and he had to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2021 after pitching only 16 2/3 innings. This kept him out of the entire 2022 campaign.

In his return to the field last year, Henley had a 5.06 ERA during his 25 appearances and 17 starts.

He's only started one game this season, going five innings where he gave up three earned runs and struck out six batters.

Now, he'll get the first opportunity to do that at the Major League level.

It's unclear whether or not Valdez is missing this scheduled start because of an injury, or if Houston are just giving their rotation an extra day of rest.

Overall, this is an interesting decision because Henley is no longer considered one of their top pitching prospects, so it's surprising to see him getting the call ahead of others like Spencer Arrighetti, Colton Gordon, Rhett Kouba, and others.

The Astros certainly need him to perform well in his debut as they try to turn their season around.