Astros Injury Updates: Rotation Help Coming as Houston Tries to Salvage Season

The Houston Astros are now 36-42 after a disappointing 8-1 loss on Saturday to the Cleveland Guardians. At first glance, it seems like time would be running out for the team to turn things around, but really that’s not necessarily true.

Luckily for the Astros, they reside in the weak American League West and even after struggling are just 3.5 games back.

The good news for Houston is that the pitching cavalry may be on its way back to the roster. The bad news is that this has been the story for a while; the returns need to start happening.

According to Brian McTaggart on X, manager Joe Espada made several encouraging updates about pitchers.

What Manager Joe Espada Had to Say

Probably the most intriguing storyline here is that Espada said Mike Burrows may be rejoining the Astros rotation as early as next week. This could be good news if the struggling pitcher has somehow found a miracle in the bullpen, but it is also confusing.

As a starter, Burrows was 3-8 with a 5.79 ERA in 15 starts. He did a lot of damage to this team. If he does join the rotation, it could be against the Toronto Blue Jays series that starts on June 22.

With a pitching staff that is ranked 28th in MLB with a 4.89 ERA, Houston really doesn’t have time to play around deciding if Burrows has found his way.

Ronel Blanco is scheduled to make a rehab start next week at. Double-A Corpus Christi. Blanco had a successful rehab start in the FCL on Friday, giving hope that his stuff is returning and that he has overcome a torn UCL.

Lance McCullers Jr is finally moving forward and is scheduled to make a rehab start next week after throwing a 25-pitch live batting practice session on Friday. The right-hander has been on the IL since May 16 with right shoulder inflammation and has not had a timeline for return.

As reported earlier in the week, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Nick Allen are both making good progress returning from hamstring issues and will be back with the MLB team shortly.

On Saturday, Hayden Wesneski threw a live BP session. It appears that his projected return in the second half of the season is still on track.

The Astros Rotation Picture

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

There is just no getting around it, injuries have decimated this team from the beginning of the season. Well, truth be told, it just carried over from 2025 and continued the trend into 2026. Right now, this team just needs bodies.

Spencer Arrighetti has turned into the most dependable starter, but his numbers are starting to show he is tiring.

Overall on the season he is 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA over 12 starts. It’s only when you look at his last seven that you can see he needs some help. In those starts, he is 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA giving up 30 hits, 18 earned runs, 15 walks and 38 strikeouts.

Hunter Brown returned from the IL on June 16 and has looked sharp. He’s only gotten three starts this year but they have been impressive. He has a 1.10 ERA on those limited starts.

In his first year with the team, Peter Lambert has been solid at 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA. He just needed a change of scenerio coming from the Colorado Rockies where he posted a 5.72 ERA in 2025.

Looking past those three starters, the rotation has been a mess, with repeated short outings and high ERAs.

The team is hoping that Cristian Javier is set to make his final rehab start on Sunday for Triple-A Sugar Land in his quest to return from a shoulder strain. Everyone is hoping that when he returns he will be much better than when he left.

Getting closer Josh Hader back has given the team more stability at the back of the bullpen since he returned on June 2. If the rotation can get to a spot of handing over games with leads, Hader can finally do his job.

Moving Forward

Yordan Alvarez | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston has one more game with the Guardians before they head to Toronto for a three-game series, and then on to Detroit for four.

With the August 3 trade deadline quickly approaching, the Astros need to find ways to win and that starts with getting their rotation put back together.

There are a lot of ‘ifs’ surrounding the Astros right now. If the rotation can return to health, and if Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Jeremy Pena can continue playing well and bring a solid offense to the table, then this team could make a solid run toward October.

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