Mike Burrows Demoted as Astros Shake Up Pitching Staff

The Houston Astros have optioned right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows to Triple-A Sugar Land. Promising prospect Alimber Santa was called up in his place.

It was long overdue.

Burrows, who was acquired by the Astros in December in a three-way trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, was expected to be one of the starting rotation's cornerstones heading into the 2026 season. It was hoped he would continue to build on a successful 2025. Sometimes baseball has different plans.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/yOKbl6u7qa
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 7, 2026

The Connecticut native had struggled to find his groove throughout the campaign, accumulating a 5.99 ERA over 18 appearances — 17 of which were starts — and 94 2/3 innings of work.

His last start against the Washington Nationals on July 6 was, to put it bluntly, an unmitigated disaster. Burrows allowed 10 runs — only seven were earned — on nine hits. Two of those base hits were home runs, one of which was a grand slam by James Wood. The Astros lost 12-11.

That effort by Burrows was not an anomaly. It's been the status quo for him for quite some time. Over his last 10 appearances, he has posted a 6.84 ERA. While there have been glimpses of wonderful pitching, the inconsistency was just too much for the Astros to bear in the end.

A Reset Was Necessary for Mike Burrows

Houston Astros starting pitcher Mike Burrows. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Burrows' demotion is by no means the end of his time with the Astros. Should he find himself once again in Sugar Land, Houston will undoubtedly welcome him back to the big league club with open arms. After all, almost every professional baseball player goes through rough spells during his career. For Burrows, his just happens to be right now.

"We just got to create some opportunities for him to go to areas where we can get some quick outs," Astros manager Joe Espada said after the team's 12-11 loss to the Nationals on July 6 (via MLB.com). "He showed signs of that, but we need more consistency out of his pitches. We know he's got the changeup, and when it's down under he can get ground balls and get swing and miss. The fastball, find areas where he can use it. The breaking ball, at times, he gets it over for strikes.

"We need more consistency. He's working his tail off. We've got to give him credit, but we've got to help him through this process and get him right."

The best way to get him right, at least as far as the Astros are concerned, was to send him to Triple-A. It's there that he can work on his craft without the added pressure of performing on an MLB mound.

And while Burrows dismissed the notion that a lack of confidence was the reason he has been pitching so poorly, getting the chance to light up minor league lineups can only do him good. The more outs he can record — no matter the level of competition — the better for him in the long run. More importantly, the better for the Astros.

It's Christmas in July

Houston Astros pitcher Alimber Santa. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alimber Santa is back in Houston, and that's a fun thing. Over eight appearances — the last of which came on June 14 — Santa posted a 0.71 ERA over 12 2/3 innings. While walks were an issue, he showed flashes of excellence during his brief stint at the highest level of the sport.

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