2:28pm: The Astros made it official, announcing Whitley’s recall with Spencer Arrighetti optioned in a corresponding move. Arrighetti’s rotation spot will likely be taken by Justin Verlander, who is expecting to be activated off the injured list shortly.
12:31pm: The Astros are recalling former top prospect Forrest Whitley for his first MLB promotion, reports Michael Schwab of the Juice Box Journal (X link). He’s already on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding active roster transaction.
Whitley, now 26, took a circuitous route to the majors. He was a first-round pick in 2016 out of a San Antonio high school. The 6’7″ righty dominated for his first year and a half, pitching his way to Double-A as a teenager. By 2018, he looked the part of a potential ace and the top pitching prospect in the sport.
Things haven’t played out the way Whitley or the Astros envisioned from that point. He was hit with a 50-game suspension for violating the minor league drug policy going into the ’18 season. Whitley battled shoulder issues the following year and lost his feel for the strike zone. The canceled 2020 campaign cost him another year of reps, although Houston nevertheless made the easy call to select him onto the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
Whitley has held that spot ever since, although it didn’t always seem as if that were a guarantee. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2021 and posted subpar results when he returned. His control issues resurfaced as he pitched to a 6.53 ERA in the upper minors in 2022. He got off to another rough start last season before sustaining a lat strain that ended his year in May. The Astros were granted a fourth minor league option as a result of Whitley’s injury history.
The front office decided to keep him on the 40-man roster throughout last offseason. They moved him to the bullpen this year upon optioning him to Triple-A Sugar Land. Whitley hasn’t gotten off to a great start, allowing four runs on a trio of homers in three innings, but he’s a fresh arm for a bullpen that has been tasked with 71 innings through the season’s first three weeks. Only the Dodgers and Padres — who leaned heavily on their relief groups during their abbreviated series in Seoul a week before every other team’s Opening Day — have used their bullpens more heavily than Houston has.
While Whitley’s promotion isn’t going to be met with the same level of fanfare as it would have a few years ago, it’s surely rewarding for the righty all the same. It’s the culmination of a nearly eight-year climb through the minors that has been littered with injury setbacks. It could prove to be a fairly brief call — Houston may need to continue cycling through middle relievers until their rotation finds any kind of groove — but he could get the chance to make his debut.
RyanD44
I love when teams promote guys that were top prospects at one time, and have done nothing in years to warrant a call-up.. but hey, maybe he’ll magically be good!
chiefnocahoma1
They have a plethora of injuries. It’s not as they’re passing up scores of more qualified prospects.
mlb1225
Well who else would you have liked them to call up?
DonOsbourne
I agree Ryan. Draft pedigree alone isn’t going to get hitters out. Similar to the Cole Winn promotion.
JoeBrady
maybe he’ll magically be good!
===========================
Actually, that’s correct. At some point, guys need to be thrown into the mix, or you will never be able to give them a grade. There are plenty of guys that pitch as well in the pros as they do in the minors, just like their are plenty of guys that excel in the minors and fail in the pros.
LordD99
You’ve misinterpreted the why, Ryan.
MLB Fanatic
The issue is you still view him as a top prospect. He’s another ready arm prepared to fill in like so many on other 40-man rosters.
astros_fan_84
He has to be on the major league roster or be put through waivers.
straightuphonestguy
Probably not as applicable for Whitley, but the PPI is really not working.
PadresWSChamps2024
It’s working for the elite rookies, which are the ones the players union cares about tbh.
twentyfivemanroster
Rest in peace White
twentyfivemanroster
Whitey
Clofreesz
It’s been FOREVER since this dude got his MLB debut after being drafted in 2016.
TheBoatmen
My guess is they will try him in the bullpen and if it doesn’t go well he will get the DFA.
Trojan Toss
Most honest team in MLB since they admitted to the (low level) “cheating” and immediately made up for it. Meanwhile, every other team continues cheating at a much much higher level to the present day and they all lie about it. Best organization in MLB. Best stadium in sports. Best city in America.
The next time someone calls them the “Trashtros” or refers to “cheating” in any way, theres going to be a problem
shortstop
Ironic post on an article about a guy who was suspended for a drug violation!
Trojan Toss
Allegedly and dont believe it for a second
stymeedone
No, really. He was suspended. Its not alleged.
screwball8
Most honest! That is the funniest comment I’ve seen on this site. I’m sure the trashtros still cheat more than any other team! Just got better a disguising it..
astrosrule
Prove it or that’s libel.
screwball8
Prove they don’t cheat! You can’t! But maybe their record shows that.
JayKay
@screwball8 Like their record the last three year showed? Try again.
stymeedone
I didn’t think they cheated the last 3 years, but if JK says so, it must be true!
njbirdsfan
Oh there’s going to be a problem tough guy?
You Texans are all a joke. You’re the types to pull guns over minor disputes, meanwhile a school is being shot up and the cops are hiding in the halls.
Sid Bream Speed Demon
Trashstros. What problem are you going to give me, little boy?
Albies There For You
There is plenty to unpack and deconstruct here, but I will simply say Houston is not even a top 10 American city, unless bland and cookie cutter design are parameters. It’s store brand vanilla ice cream boring.
vtadave
Still the Trashtros.
MLB Fanatic
You pretend that the Astros had a choice of what type of punishment to accept. The players were given immunity in exchange for cooperating with the league’s investigation. “Low level” cheating doesn’t get a GM and a manager banned from baseball for a year.
Dread Pirate Roberts
Post-hype deep sleeper
Sid Bream Speed Demon
Post-hype Coma Patient
Melchez17
Desperate times…
Grantastic
‘Stros are finally seeing the Forrest for the trees in 2024, with this tepid start and a rash of injuries.
Johnny81913
Why is it “recalled” when he’s never been called?
fivepoundbass
Amen, Johnny.
Bucket Number Six
Because he’s been selected and optioned.
WSnotAstros2017
Nice they are giving him a sh ot. Verlander will be back for Friday and perhaps Framber maybe for weekend too. At least for rotation wise.
Wonder if Spencer might go down.
Brown is pitching tonight if he does not get going he may be demoted to try to find himself or sent to bullpen permanently. He was good out of bullpen and had a couple decent starts back in 2022 I believe. But all last season his rookie season thought maybe nervous just trying to find self but the start this season. Rotten.
But we shall see what Whitley does. OR has
CarryABigStick
Here’s his in between starts workout routine:
Run Forrest, run!
yamsi1912
Really enjoying seeing the Astros struggle.
holecamels35
Yeah it only took losing an entire rotation for that to happen.
❤️ MuteButton
Not impressed
609Collectibles
Phillies have a squeeze coming with their rotation, how about Taijuan Walker for Rafael Montero straight up?
Arizonfan
It is good that Whitley is getting his chance. There has been plenty of excitement and let downs leading up to his call up. Best of luck Forest
Old York
How will Forrest Whitley’s previous struggles with injuries and performance issues impact his role and potential contributions to the Astros’ bullpen, especially considering the current workload and performance challenges the bullpen faces?
sad tormented neglected mariners fan
Whitley reminds me of Josh Hamilton where his path to the majors is anything but straight
Maybe he will magically be good again and look like that top 5 prospect!
great one
Whitley’s mechanics are terrible. He finishes differently on almost each throw. Oh yeah…and he’s a thrower, not a,pitcher. He literally will throw straight into the ground and you can see the 99mph coming because he throws it HARD.
His fast ball has no movement – it’s fast – but on a tee.