Astros To Select Top 10 Pitching Prospect to Make MLB Debut on Wednesday

The Houston Astros are desperate for more starting pitching and have called up one of their top prospects to help out.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown talks with manager Joe Espada before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Houston Astros starting rotation has plenty of questions at the moment. It's a big issue for the team to deal with, and consistently not having an idea of who is going to be pitching on certain nights isn't sustainable for a team that has postseason hopes.

Hunter Brown and Peter Lambert have been the two stalwarts at the top of the rotation, and Brown has struggled in his command as well. The Astros have big decisions to make to try and stabilize this rotation during the stretch run. It looks like the first of those decisions have been made.

Astros Calling Up A Talented Prospect

Houston Astros’ hats and gloves sit on the dugout steps at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Astros are set to call up right-hander Ethan Pecko from Triple-A Sugar Land to make his major league debut as a starter on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels in Daikin Park, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Pecko is the Astros' No. 9 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Pecko is also the Astros' second highest pitching prospect, behind Bryce Mayer, who's also currently at Triple-A. The soon-to-be 24-year-old Pecko was scratched without explanation from his scheduled start on Sunday for the Space Cowboys.

Pecko was a sixth round draft pick out of Towson in 2023 and became the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year in his first full season. Pecko has gone 4-6 this year with a 4.57 ERA in 20 appearances (82.2 innings). That included 18 starts with 15 of them at Triple-A.

He threw four innings and gave up three runs in his last outing on Aug. 9. After a strained foreman injury that caused him to miss two months in 2025, he posted a 3.09 ERA in 35 innings at Triple-A last year.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righty will become the 17th starting pitcher for the Astros this year, which is the most in baseball. Pecko picked up 3 mph on his fastball since he joined the minor leagues and that pitch goes from 93-95 mph with a high of 98 mph.

His slider has been solid, and he also employs a cutter. Pecko struggles with his curveball, while he lacks command on the changeup. Command has been a big issue for Astros pitching this year, as they have given up 517 total walks. That is the third most in MLB.

It's very likely the Astros will have him greatly focus on his best pitches. He has strong mechanics and could eventually develop into a true starter. However, he's been thrust into the limelight now given the current starting pitching situation.

Ronel Blanco was optioned to Triple-A after giving up five earned runs in four innings in a relief appearance on Saturday night, and right-hander Miguel Ullola was called up as the corresponding move. Blanco's ERA was 7.71.