Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Chandler Rome of The Athletic) this afternoon. Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relays that the Astros expect him back at some point during the 2026 campaign. A more specific timetable for his return won’t be known until after the procedure, which is expected to be performed in Dallas by Dr. Keith Meister later this week. In any case, he’ll miss the remainder of the 2025 season and presumably at least the first half of 2026 as well.
The news brings an abrupt end to Wesneski’s first season in Houston. The 27-year-old was acquired from the Cubs alongside All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes and top prospect Cam Smith in the deal that shipped longtime Astros star Kyle Tucker to Chicago back in December. Initially drafted by the Yankees in the sixth-round of the 2019 draft, Wesneski was traded to the Cubs in exchange for right-handed reliever Scott Effross at the 2022 trade deadline and went on to spend parts of three seasons as a swing man on the north side. Wesneski pitched 190 innings total across 22 starts and 46 relief outings for the Cubs from 2022 to 2024, and in that time he posted fairly pedestrian numbers with a 3.93 ERA (106 ERA+) and a 4.74 FIP. His 23.0% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate were both solid, but his production was generally held back by a penchant for allowing homers.
Among pitchers with at least 180 innings of work over that three-year span, Wesneski’s home run rate was ninth-highest. That’s certainly not ideal, and that proclivity towards the long ball held Wesneski back from reaching what many evaluators viewed as a mid-rotation ceiling during his time with the Cubs. The Astros saw something they liked, however, as they not only traded for him as part of the Tucker deal but also gave him a spot in their Opening Day rotation. The righty was serviceable but unspectacular, with a 4.50 ERA and 4.79 FIP across six starts that both clocked in just a bit worse than league average. Home run issues persisted for Wesneski, but a reduced 4.6% walk rate was enough for some of his advanced metrics to improve, such as a 3.68 SIERA that clocked in well below his career mark.
Whether he’ll be able to push his actual production into a range closer to those peripheral numbers has become a question for another time, however. The right-hander was placed on the injured list with elbow discomfort nine days ago, and initial testing on his elbow did not provide much clarity about what issues Wesneski was facing until a follow-up appointment with Meister confirmed that the righty would need to go under the knife. While the Astros have said that Wesneski is expected back next year, Rome notes that the hurler is eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career this offseason and suggests that could make him a potential non-tender candidate this winter if he’s not expected to contribute much in 2026, as was the case with former Astro Jose Urquidy this past winter.
In the meantime, the Astros will left to rely on a rotation mix that just got a little less deep for 2025. Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, and Lance McCullers Jr. are currently joined by rookie Colton Gordon in the rotation, with Ryan Gusto in the bullpen as a swing option. Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia, and Cristian Javier are all expected back at some point this season from the injured list to provide additional reinforcements, but the timeline for all three remains murky.
The elbow discomfort strikes again…
Good luck Hayden see you in 14-16 months!
iTalk studio says it best, every pitcher is a walking Tommy John liability.
Tucker trade still looks good for Cubs. Cubs kept most of their key prospects and are solidly on mix this year. That was the right balance.
Presley has sucked but Kelly has been better than expected.
And Mets sure must regret dealing PCA.
Isaac Paredes has a higher WAR than Kyle Tucker does. And the Cubs have a huge hole at 3b. Cubs would have been better off with Smith and Paredes in 2025 and of course long term as well. Looks like a bad trade to me.
Tucker WAR 1.6
Paredes WAR 1.1
nicely done at picking a useless stat to compare the Tucker/Paredes seasons
Tucker is obviously having a vastly superior year at the plate, and he’s also doing well in RF
Paredes having a higher WAR because of his defensive contributions is stupid to cite because Tucker doesn’t play the same position
Anyone who in 2025 calls WAR a useless stat is a bozo.
It’s very relevant because the Cubs have a black hole at 3b. They would be a better team with Smith in the outfield and Paredes at 3b. It’s extremely relevant.
And this is just 2025. Tucker is going to walk while Smith and Paredes are under team control for many years to come.
The trade looks bad right now. That’s a fact.
I think the bigger factor is the impact Tucker has had on other players in the Cubs lineup. Tucker’s presence alone has made the lineup so much better.
I think you are making stuff up.
He’s only under contract for 2025. What then?
Well, hopefully they re-sign him. If they don’t or if they don’t win the WS – which they likely won’t, the Cubs lost the trade because they gave up a lot for 1 year of Tucker.
You just keep reaching King—sooner or later you will start to believe what you write is true.
And–don’t quit your day job, Oh, that’s right—this is your day job.
I think the Cubs have a shot this year. Obviously losing Steele hurt but they have prospects to trade to fill their holes. But yeah like most trades for a rental if you don’t win it doesn’t work out long term.
I said Paredes and Smith have a higher WAR than Tucker does. Thats not an opinion.
Shaw looks like he’ll be back sooner than later. If he doesn’t click the second time around, they can just roll with the three-headed third baseman for the rest of the year.
If Paredes was with the Cubs, you can probably cut that WAR in half. All six of his homers have been hit at home. Cam Smith would be in Iowa.
.984 ops home .592 road.
When he is a free agent we will see if teams are fooled by his inflated home stats and how much WAR matters.
I’ll put my $ on Tucker getting more $ even though his contract will be years older.
King of cards just pissed they signed Contreras garbage ass and are a trash ass team. Go to your own page…oh wait no one cares about the gay birds
Isaac Paredes would have 4 hrs if every game was at Wrigley. Not bad. There’s numerous parks that he would only have 1 hr. Would have 7 if every game was in Houston. He really is a perfect fit for them.
Are you factoring in wind for those homers? Wrigley can play +/- 30 feet in left depending on wind. It was -52 to left the other day.
good thing i didnt say it was a useless stat
i said it was a useless stat *in how you were trying to apply it*…
Paredes has like a .800 OPS and Tucker has about a .950 OPS… big difference – and you can’t compare the other side of the ball because they play different positions like i was saying
pretty funny that you have a limited understanding in what information you can get from the stat and call other people that clearly understand it better bozos… but you do you
and the trade does not look bad right now, there are 0 cub fans that are regretting the addition of Tucker’s bat so far – the only decent point you have made is that the cubs are indeed getting crap quality out of the 3b position right now, but there is still plenty of time to address that
I was looking at baseball reference WAR. The point is it shouldn’t be close because Tucker is more expensive and a soon to be free agent.
I wasnt just comparing Tucker and Paredes i included Smith who plays the same position Tucker does.
The Cubs had a 3b. A good one. And then they traded him away as well as Smith who is also playing well.
The trade looks bad. Just admit it.
No idea. Whatever MLB site uses. Not data I am interested in enough to fact check criteria.
WAR is a useless stat. Not a single team uses it. Proof is Tucker and Paredes will be free agents at same age and Tucker is going to get a lot more $$$$$$$
Imagine trading for him and paying his war value and the next day someone tells you he would have 1 hr and a 500 600 ops in your home stadium. Ouch.
Nobody said long term that Paredes is better than Tucker. What i said was SO FAR he’s been better. And even if they are similar or Tucker is slightly better it still makes the Cubs trade look stupid. Because they gave away a 3b which they definitely need. And Tucker is a soon to be free agent when Smith and Paredes have multiple years of team control left. It isn’t supposed to be close at all Tucker is supposed to be the better player by a mile and he’s clearly not.
You are making excuses. I am looking at stats you are cherry picking little pieces of stats to try and come to the conclusion you want to.
He hasn’t been better. He has a better war. That war is from being in Houston. Elsewhere it wouldn’t be nearly as high as seen in his road splits. Chicago doesn’t play half it’s games in Houston.
I am just coming to the conclusion that tjat data tells me. I don’t want anything. If Paredes Tucker never played another game I wouldn’t care at all.
You sound like you are a jealous cards fan who is desperately trying to find something to attack the Cubs on.
If Cubs make playoffs or increase attendance the $ will be worth more than anything they sent to Houston. The will get a draft pick for Tucker. They can sign more players.
Paredes in more games more at bats for Cubs 0.4 war.
You see cards having a short left field wall is much better for pull fly ball hitters. Why he would have 7 hrs there vs only 1 or 2 in many other stadiums.
Kyle Tucker away ops 970
Paredes 592
And Paredes is better because awful war stat isn’t factoring in his inflated home park numbers?
His career numbers at Wrigley 096 average .291 ops!!!! And the Cubs traded a good 3b!!!!!!!!! You think that’s good !!!!!!!
But but…what is their batting avg? RBIs?
When comparing production, it’s always useful to arbitrarily and capricious cut numbers in half
Paredes and Bellinger are having nice seasons at the moment but you cannot plug and play and expect the same results.
Paredes and Bellinger both struggled badly to start the season, Tucker did not. Had the Cubs not made the trade for Tucker, odds are they would be buried in the division considering how difficult their schedule had been.
You can claim it was a “bad trade” but the reality of the situation is, the Cubs played by far and away the most difficult schedule to start the season and still manage to lead the division.
Everything Cubs looks “Bad” to a Cardinal homer.
Paredes can’t hit at Wrigley, I’m glad we traded him
@Ryan: I think the more immediate issue is that, except for a couple of weeks, Tucker hasn’t been very good. Certainly not the Top 5-type player we were promised, and all that stuff….Everyone is assuming that anytime now he will snap out of it and dominate–but what if he doesn’t? If he proves to be, say, about as good as Cody Bellinger over a full season, the Cubs would be nuts to offer him anything like the kind of contract his agent reportedly is seeking.
Tucker 2.1
Parades 2.1
Also it’s a bit tacky to talk about how a trade looks in the same post where one of the guys traded gets hurt. Thats not appropriate.
In this case, the Astros knew this was a possibility when he was acquired. He missed significant time with a forearm strain last season. They wanted him anyway. See you down the road, Hayden.
@meh. Yeah wesnenski was the throw in. Astros did the trade because they were letting tucker walk. They could’ve waited til the TDL. But if he got hurt it would throw a wrench in the plans. They obviously liked cam smith.
Pressley has been fine, not good, a few blow-ups (one really bad). Kelly has been great, Rea and Boyd have been great. Cam Smith may sting, but Tucker changes this lineup and Shaw coming up for Miami series.
Trade worked out for both teams. Only cost the Cubs a prospect. His home road splits are far apart as well. Why keep a 3b who doesn’t fit their home park. Might have been concerned about arm and not like he was anything special for them. A guy capable of getting MVP votes for a prospect and your trash sounds alright to me. Better fit for Houston. Helps extend their window. At least they tried.
If Paredes isn’t a fit for the Cubs home park why the f did they trade for him in the first place? And that’s just made up nonsense anyways.
Houston didnt just extend their window they have got more production out of Smith and Paredes than they would have had out of Tucker. They got better in both the short and long term. They won the trade.
They got Paredes for free. They traded what they felt was a lesser player. Did the same thing when they traded for Tucker.
But they were wrong about the Tucker deal because Paredes is playing great and Smith has 6 years of team control and looks good too. Silly Cubs….
Closer to June 1 than May 1 and Paredes has 1 hr! Cubs weren’t wrong. They knew exactly what this guy was. Why they couldn’t wait to trade him, a guy who’s arm was about to fall off and a overrated prospect to get an elite game changer really a season changer for them.
Damn this sucks so much. I was really hoping he would be really good for the Astros. He’s back home where he went to college. Houston University.
Close–Sam Houston State!
When Dan Rather went there, it was named Sam Houston Institute of Technology…until the students started wearing the initials on their jackets.
Either way he was born and raised in Houston.
He didn’t attend the University of Houston though.
Sam Houston State isn’t in Houston, but I’m probably being nitpicky. It’s closer to College Station than Houston.
It’s in Huntsville. Period.
very sad : C
That’s tough. When Garcia and Javier are back the rotation will be fixed. This doesn’t help the rotation until then.
Interesting in the way that it relates to Framber Valdez and the possibility of extending him.
Fried got 8yrs / 218M in FA entering his age 31 season and had some question marks regarding injuries. Framber will be entering his age 33 season, he has been a bull for the last three seasons.
McCullers and Javier are both expensive question marks, you have to keep both around and hope they can pitch until their contracts expire after ’26 and ’27 respectively.
Wesneski looked like he could have been as good as a three in the Astros rotation, he is now out until ’27. He will be entering his age 29 season.
The Astros looked to have more than a number of options in their rotation where they could have gotten away from an expensive, long term extension on Framber but it may be their best option.
Chandler Rome is already suggesting Houston will cut him to avoid arbitration. That would be foolish. His arbitration salary should be relatively minor…..
Houston has a few dead money contracts coming off the books after the season in Montero and Jose Abreu so cutting him should not be an option.
At least it wasn’t the Johnny Tom Surgery.
Hayden Wesneski has one of pro sport’s most rhythmic names.
Just what amount of royalty is received by Mr. Tommy John for each time that “Tommy John” surgery is performed and each time when “Tommy John” surgery is referred to by the various media outlets?
If he isn’t getting anything for the REPEATED use of his name, he should have hired an attorney back in the day OR he should be hiring one ASAP.
To those mentioning Sam Houston State it is in Huntsville, TX not too far from the prison am sure there.
But it is sad what happened to Wesneski. He had the issue last season. Was skipped in a start. Then next turn was pushed to breaking point. 45 pitches in one inning then used in another 2 innings before pulled him then he is on disabled list next day.
McCullers is getting rehab starts more or less. He will not amount to anything like was for September in 2022 or even in his hey days in 2017 or earlier. Javier signed an extension I think before he got hurt. It will be August maybe for him. Arrighetti last heard still in a cast with his thumb. Have not heard one word or update with Garcia or France. Will either even be part of things come the deadline/this off season.
Myself I hope this whole team is changed. Fire Espada, the hitting coaches and perhaps pitching coaches. Too many of the rotation has gone down lately. Really, we have Framber and Brown really of good in rotation. Blanco is up and down. A different version of Jekyll and Hyde that Framber was.
Cam I cannot say on a return with him. He was great in ST. But for the season has not been all that and I know ST is different from the real season. A good few players struggling too. Yordan, Altuve, Diaz, Walker who is new. Chas isn’t even playing hardly. Brendan is not great with hitting. Did we only get him for Defense over Altuve. I just do not feel that good this season with management as a whole with the team and more. Dana the GM either.
But as said this is sad to happen to the guy. Makes me wonder on this guy Houston got off waivers from ATH. Has an 18.00 era and given up 12 runs.
Fire the pitching coacches ? Are you mad ?
Framber for a power hitting OF this trade deadline —-mark it
Tough news. I always liked his grit with the Cubs.
I think the trade was fair for both sides which cannot always be said. I dont know why Parades didn’t hit in Chicago as he was really good in Tampa and has been amazing for Houston both at bat and on the field. Smith is coming along. Has great strike zone knowledge and is making better contact. The Astros have an endless string of pitchers who get Tommy John which may be bad luck or bad coaching and conditions they use with their prospects.
I think astros have the edge on who won this trade, pretty fair though
Parades just had the week of his life