The Opener: Astros, Rockies, Tigers
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Astros roster moves incoming?
The Astros got hit with a double whammy on the injury front yesterday, as both center fielder Jake Meyers and right-hander Cristian Javier exited yesterday’s game due to back and shoulder injuries respectively. There’s likely to be some roster shuffling as a result of those injuries today. In particular, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle notes that outfielder Taylor Trammell was scratched from the Triple-A lineup last night as Meyers is expected to head to Houston for imaging. That would fairly cleanly replace Meyers on the roster, but it leaves open the question of how the Astros will handle the potential loss of Javier. Hunter Brown is already on the injured list, and the club was seemingly planning to go to a six-man rotation in the coming days. Spencer Arrighetti, Colton Gordon, and Jason Alexander are among the options at Triple-A who could be asked to take up a rotation role moving forward.
2. Rockies going streaking:
The Rockies didn’t enter the 2026 season with much hope for a successful campaign on the field. It will take more than the first couple weeks of the season to change that perception, but the club has put together a bit of a winning streak with wins in each of their last four games to pull them up to .500. That keeps them out of last place in the NL West and makes them the only club in the division besides the Dodgers with a positive run differential. All of that leads into a series against the division rival Padres that opens today wherein Colorado could have a chance to pull themselves into a winning record and perhaps even sole possession of second place in the division. Those efforts will start tonight at 6:40 local time in San Diego when right-hander Randy Vasquez takes the mound for the Padres against an as-of-yet unnamed Rockies starter, though Chase Dollander is expected to get the bulk of today’s innings.
3. Tigers looking to avoid sweep:
Meanwhile, the Tigers entered the season with lofty expectations but have gotten out to a rough start this year. They’re 4-8 to open the season this year, putting them tied for last in the AL Central alongside the White Sox. That’s in large part due to a rough series against the Twins, who have won three straight against the Tigers. Today, Detroit will be looking to avoid a sweep while the Twins will try to finish the job with Mick Abel on the mound against veteran right-hander Jack Flaherty. That game is scheduled for 12:40pm local time at Target Field in Minnesota. Both have struggled badly so far this year, with a 7.56 ERA in two starts for Flaherty while Abel has posted an 11.05 ERA in 7 1/3 innings of work. Will one be able to get back on track today?
The Opener: Drohan, Braves, Angels, Pitchers’ Duel
On the heels of this morning’s big Pirates news, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Drohan to make MLB debut:
The Brewers promoted left-hander Shane Drohan to the majors earlier this week, and now he’s poised to make his MLB debut against his former club. Acquired from the Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin trade, Drohan was a fifth-rounder drafted by the Red Sox back in 2020 who posted a 2.27 ERA in 47 2/3 innings of work at Triple-A last year. Drohan made just one start with the Brewers at Triple-A this year before being promoted, but now he’ll face off against veteran righty Sonny Gray (4.28 ERA in 2025) at Fenway Park later today. The game is scheduled for 1:35pm local time in Boston this afternoon.
2. Braves, Angels brawl:
The Braves and Angels got into a brawl yesterday, with right-hander Reynaldo Lopez and slugger Jorge Soler at the center of it. As noted by Rhett Bollinger and Courtney Hollman of MLB.com, Soler hit a home run in his first plate appearance and was plunked in his second. In his third appearance, an up-and-in pitch came close to him, leading to him charging the mound and throwing punches at Lopez, who retaliated by punching back. Both benches cleared as Lopez and Soler fought, and the pair were eventually ejected from the game. Suspensions and fines haven’t yet been handed down from MLB after the brawl, but it seems likely that disciplinary action could come as soon as today. Meanwhile, the clubs will have the opportunity to work out any lingering tensions during this afternoon’s game, where Grant Holmes will face off against Reid Detmers at 1:07pm local time in Anaheim.
3. Pitchers’ Duel today:
A rematch of the 2025 World Series is currently ongoing, and tonight’s game in that rematch features a particularly exciting pitching matchup. Shohei Ohtani will be taking the mound for the World Champion Dodgers in his second start of the season. He threw six scoreless innings in his first outing of the year, racking up six strikeouts while allowing just one hit. His opponent will be newly-signed Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease, whose first two starts in Toronto have seen him post a 2.79 ERA with 18 strikeouts in just 9 2/3 innings of work. The game is scheduled for 3:07pm local time in Toronto and comes as the Jays look to avoid a sweep at the hands of Los Angeles, who won the first two games by a combined score of 18-3.
Pirates Sign Konnor Griffin To Nine-Year Extension
The Pirates have announced that they’ve signed Konnor Griffin to a nine-year extension. The news was first reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post this morning. The deal runs through the 2034 season, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports that the deal is worth $140MM. Heyman adds that the deal includes incentives that could take the deal up to $150MM for the Excel client, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that there are no options or deferred money in the deal. Sherman adds that the deal’s incentives are based on MVP voting for the 2026-31 seasons. According to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the deal includes a $12MM signing bonus. $5MM of that bonus will be paid out this year, followed by $3.5MM in 2027 and $3.5MM in 2028.
ESPN’s Buster Olney first reported that the sides were working on a deal in the range of nine years and $140MM last week, and now the deal is done. Even as the sides working on an extension has been common knowledge for a while now, it’s still surely a huge relief to Pirates fans that the deal is officially done. The consensus top prospect in the sport is now locked up through the end of the 2034 season, giving Pittsburgh three additional years of team control over their up-and-coming star. The term is convenient for Griffin as well. The youngster is still a few weeks shy of his 20th birthday, meaning that he’ll hit free agency ahead of his age-29 season when the deal wraps up in 2034. That should leave Griffin in line for a massive payday down the line, assuming he plays up to expectations.
Those expectations are certainly lofty. The youngster has gotten rave reviews from prospecting outlets across the board, and he’s viewed as a legitimate five-tool player with MVP-level upside. He’s certainly done everything he can to support those fawning evaluations so far. In his first professional season last year, he slashed .333/.415/.527 across three levels of the minors with 21 homers, 23 doubles, four triples, and a whopping 65 steals in just 122 games. He did all that while playing impressive defense at shortstop, and picked right back up where he left off upon starting the season at Triple-A. He went 7-for-16 (.438 average) with three steals, three doubles, and more walks than strikeouts in five games with the Pirates’ Indianapolis affiliate before they pulled the trigger and called him up to the majors.
Since being promoted to the majors, Griffin has struggled somewhat, with a .176/.300/.235 slash line in his first five games. There’s not much reason to put significant stock into a sample size that small, but it is worth noting that Griffin isn’t exactly guaranteed to hit the ground running in the majors. There’s a reason Juan Soto was the last hitter to reach the majors as a teenager before Griffin, and even Mike Trout was a below-average hitter in the majors at Griffin’s age. For the time being, Griffin’s exceptional speed on the base paths and strong defense at shortstop are already a big asset for the Pirates even if the star-level hitting contributions come later.
The extension makes Griffin the highest-paid Pirates player in franchise history, and puts a bow on a busy offseason where the club got aggressive in its efforts to contend. Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and Marcell Ozuna were all brought in this winter by the Pirates after the club missed on some much bigger fish like Kyle Schwarber, Kazuma Okamoto, and Eugenio Suarez to whom they were linked. Even with those top-tier pieces signing elsewhere, Pittsburgh has undeniably upgraded their offense in a big way as they try to make the most of the time during which they’ll have both Griffin and reigning NL Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes in the same uniform. All that spending has raised the luxury tax payroll considerably, and RosterResource indicates that their figure sits just under $127MM for luxury tax purposes at the moment. That should rise to the $142MM range once Griffin’s extension is accounted for.
Poll: What Should The Cubs Do With Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki?
The Cubs kicked off the 2026 season with a pair of notable extensions. They locked up star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and veteran second baseman Nico Hoerner on contracts that will keep both players in town through the end of the 2032 season. Even after extending Hoerner (who was a pending free agent prior to signing), however, the Cubs are in position to lose a lot of talent this offseason. Sixty percent of the club’s starting rotation (Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon) is slated to hit free agency after the season. This is also catcher Carson Kelly‘s final year under contract.
The most notable players the team stands to lose to free agency, however, are Crow-Armstrong’s partners in the outfield: left fielder Ian Happ and right fielder Seiya Suzuki. Whether a deal will come together with either Happ or Suzuki remains to be seen. As of two months ago, both Happ and Suzuki indicated that they had not spoken to the Cubs about extensions yet. That can change with one phone call, of course, but there’s been no evidence to this point that the sides have engaged in talks so far. On the surface, the argument for extending one or both of the team’s corner outfielders seems fairly obvious: both have been consistently productive for Chicago.
Happ is now in his tenth season as a major league player, and he’s never posted a below average season by measure of wRC+ in that time. Since the departure of the core that won the World Series in 2016, Happ has been the club’s longest-tenured player and a consistent presence on offense. From 2022 onwards, he’s slashed .250/.346/.435 (119 wRC+) overall with remarkable year-to-year consistency. His wRC+ has fallen between 116 and 122 in each of the last four years, and on defense each of those seasons has ended with him being awarded the NL’s Gold Glove for his work in left field. Aside from his on-field value, Happ also holds a meaningful place in Cubs history with a chance to finish the year in the franchise’s top 10 all time for home runs.
Suzuki, on the other hand, joined the Cubs after coming over from Japan ahead of the 2022 season and has only improved across his four years with the club. A career .269/.346/.472 (127 wRC+) hitter in the majors, he’s been arguably the Cubs’ most productive bat during his time with the club. Since arriving in the majors in 2022, Suzuki’s the 11th-best outfielder in the majors by wRC+ (minimum 1500 plate appearances). That puts him just behind Byron Buxton and Julio Rodriguez, sitting just ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Corbin Carroll. Those are middle-of-the-order superstars that Suzuki is rubbing elbows with from a statistical perspective, and that sort of impact can be tough to replace.
That’s not to say extending either player is necessarily a slam-dunk decision, as both certainly come with flaws. Both will celebrate their 32nd birthdays in August, putting them near the end of their prime years. Neither is exactly a complete player, either. Suzuki’s offensive impact cannot be denied, but his defensive struggles in the outfield are well-documented and led to him spending most of the 2025 campaign as the club’s DH. He’s also struggled to stay healthy in the majors, having only played 150 games once in his career. He already started 2026 on the injured list due to a knee injury he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.
Happ, on the other hand, is a more well-rounded player but the offensive production he offers is a lot easier to come by. Taylor Ward, Teoscar Hernandez, Brendan Donovan, Jarren Duran, Anthony Santander, Randy Arozarena, and Brandon Nimmo are all within three points of Happ’s wRC+ from 2022-25 in one direction or the other. All of those players are quality pieces, but that group is undeniably a step down from the rarefied air Suzuki’s numbers put him in.
One key factor that has not yet been mentioned regarding the Cubs’ decisions on Suzuki and Happ is the availability of quality alternatives. Arozarena is set to reach free agency this year and is comparable to Happ and Suzuki in terms of both age and productivity, but they’re undoubtedly the top three corner outfielders on the market this winter. Players like Trent Grisham and Ramon Laureano lack the lengthy track records offered by Happ and Suzuki, while someone like George Springer comes with even more substantial age-related concerns given that he’ll turn 37 this September. If the Cubs are going to dip into free agency for outfield help this winter, they’ll be hard pressed to find an upgrade over the guys they already have.
In terms of internal options to replace the duo, the Cubs are quite thin. Top outfield prospect Owen Caissie was dealt to Miami over the offseason to land Edward Cabrera. Kevin Alcantara is a well-regarded prospect currently hitting very well at Triple-A, but the 23-year-old has struggled in limited chances in the majors and draws significant value from his defense in center field, a position he won’t play on a team that features Crow-Armstrong. 2025 first-rounder Ethan Conrad is very well-regarded in prospecting circles but still years away from the majors. Matt Shaw was displaced from third base by the addition of Alex Bregman and has gotten some reps in right field while Suzuki is on the shelf, but he was a below-average offensive player last year and had no experience in the outfield before this spring.
How do MLBTR readers think the Cubs should handle the outfield corners going forward? Should they extend one or both of their current veterans, or let them both walk in free agency? Have your say in the poll below:
How should the Cubs approach Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ's futures?
The Opener: Red Sox, Brewers, A’s, MLBTR Chat
Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on throughout the day today:
1. Red Sox, Brewers face off amid tense series:
The Red Sox and Brewers played last night, and right-hander Brandon Woodruff hit veteran first baseman Willson Contreras with a pitch. Contreras, who had spent the entirety of his career prior to this season in the NL Central, has been plunked by the Brewers 24 times in his career, including six by Woodruff specifically. That was enough to raise tensions on the field, and after the game both Contreras and a handful Brewers players commented on the situation (as relayed by Tim Healey of The Boston Globe).
“The 24th time, it’s not [a] coincidence,” Contreras said, as relayed by Healey. “They’re going there with a purpose. And that’s fine, that’s pitching. But next time you hit me, the message is clear: I’m going to take one of them out.”
Brewers veteran Christian Yelich was nonplussed by Contreras’s comments. “We’ve seen that skit for the last 10 years. It’s nothing new. Not surprising. You just keep it rolling. You got a game to win and lock the boys in, rally the troops.”
All of this sets up an interesting game between the clubs later today. At 6:45pm local time in Boston this evening, Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet will take the mound opposite hard-throwing righty Jacob Misiorowski. Crochet fell just shy of the AL Cy Young award last year and has a 3.27 ERA through two starts. Misiorowski, for his part, received an All-Star nod in his rookie season last year and has now posted a 2.45 ERA in his own first two starts of the year.
2. A’s 40-man roster move incoming:
The A’s are expected to select the contract of right-hander Joel Kuhnel later today. Before they can do that, however, they’ll need to create a spot on the 40-man roster for him. Right-hander Gunnar Hoglund is the only player on the club’s injured list at the moment. It’s unclear when exactly the right-hander will return from his current back injury, but he isn’t a known candidate for the 60-day injured list at this point. Barring a surprise transfer for Hoglund or a surprise trade that clears 40-man roster space, the A’s will have to designate a player for assignment today. That move can be expected sometime this afternoon, given that the club is slated to play their next game at 7:05pm local time in New York against the Yankees.
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
The regular season is in full swing at this point, with some clubs (like the 6-5 Angels) exceeding expectations in the early going while others (like the 2-8 Red Sox) have struggled unexpectedly out of the gate. Whether you’re wondering what to expect from your team this year or just trying to separate the contenders from the pretenders, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco has you covered with a live chat at 11:00am CT this morning. You can click here to leave a question in advance. That same link will also allow you to follow along with the chat live when things get underway and view a transcript of the chat after it concludes.
Padres Notes: Adam, Canning, Waldron
The Padres have been without veteran right-hander Jason Adam so far this season as he works his way back from last year’s quadriceps surgery. While that blow to the bullpen has been manageable with elite arms like Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon holding things down, Adam is a big part of the San Diego relief corps after posting a 2.07 ERA with a 3.20 FIP in 256 2/3 innings of work since the start of the 2022 season. Looking more specifically at Adam’s time with the Padres, his numbers are an even more dominant 1.66 ERA and 2.89 FIP.
It’s exciting news, then, for the Padres that Adam is nearing a return. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Adam pitched on back-to-back days over the weekend in his rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso. Sanders adds that Adam could be activated when he’s first eligible to come off the shelf on April 8, but that it’s also possible that the club will wait until April 9, when they’ll be back in San Diego for a series against the Rockies. Whenever Adam does wind up returning, it’ll be a huge boost to a Padres bullpen that has gotten lackluster performances from Jeremiah Estrada and Wandy Peralta in the early going.
As Adam’s rehab assignment nears its conclusion, right-hander Griffin Canning‘s is getting underway. Sanders notes that Canning allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings of work over the weekend with four strikeouts on 51 pitches. That leaves him with some building up left to do before he’s ready to make the jump back to the majors as a starter, but after signing a $2.5MM deal with San Diego during the offseason, the righty seems very likely to be in the Padres’ starting rotation once he is ready to go. That’s for good reason, seeing as he turned in a very respectable 3.77 ERA in 16 starts last year before suffering the achilles injury he’s currently working his way back from. That’s the production of a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, and if he can match those numbers he’ll be a huge asset to a Padres rotation that looks like the team’s biggest weakness early in 2026.
If the Padres are looking for more immediate help in the rotation, however, they might first turn to knuckleballer Matt Waldron. The 29-year-old underwent minor surgery in February and has made two rehab starts to get built up into regular season form after missing some of Spring Training. He’s looked phenomenal in those rehab starts so far, with a 39.1% strikeout rate in seven scoreless innings. Waldron has built up to 61 pitches so far and will be in line for his next rehab start later this week. The righty has a 4.86 ERA for his career in the majors and could be a real option for the club’s rotation either in the event of an injury or continued struggles from the current back-end duo of German Marquez and Walker Buehler after tough starts to the year for both players. JP Sears, Triston McKenzie, and Marco Gonzales are among the other depth options the Padres have at their disposal in the rotation.
Red Sox Send Patrick Galle To Cardinals As PTBNL In Sonny Gray Trade
The Red Sox announced today (as relayed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, among others) that they’ve sent right-hander Patrick Galle to the Cardinals to complete their trade for veteran righty Sonny Gray from this past offseason. Galle joins right-handers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to make up the complete return for Gray. The Cardinals subsequently announced that Galle has been assigned to Single-A Palm Beach.
Galle, who celebrated his 22nd birthday yesterday, joins the Cardinals organization after spending less than a year in the Red Sox organization. A 17th-round pick by the club during last year’s draft, Galle pitched just 11 innings in relief during his two years with the University of Mississippi during college. He’s spent his entire professional career to this point at the Single-A level, and he’s pitched to a 4.91 ERA in 7 1/3 innings of work. He’s posted a strikeout rate of just 11.4% with a 20% walk rate. Those are lackluster numbers to be sure, and at 22 years old it’s an open question if Galle will ever develop enough to make it to the majors. With that being said, the righty hasn’t spent much time in professional ball at this point, and it’s possible that getting into a new organization that has pivoted to have such a strong focus on player development could be just what Galle needs to take a big step forward.
The deal completes a trade for Gray that helped to patch up a Red Sox rotation that was not only losing Lucas Giolito to free agency but had too often proven inconsistent in 2025 outside of staff ace Garrett Crochet. Gray’s numbers with Boston don’t exactly jump off the page through two starts, with a 4.50 ERA and 19% strikeout rate in ten unremarkable innings. The veteran’s track record as a consistent and durable above-average arm suggests that he’ll be a productive asset for the Red Sox this year, however, as long as he remains in good health. Turning to the Cardinals, Clarke has not yet made his organizational debut but Fitts has a very impressive 1.74 ERA across two outings for Triple-A Memphis so far this season.
Rays Activate Taylor Walls From IL, Option Carson Williams
The Rays are shuffling their infield mix this morning, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relays that shortstop Taylor Walls is being activated from the injured list. Infield prospect Carson Williams is being optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Walls, 29, has been sidelined to this point in the year by a right oblique strain. He suffered the injury in late March and was expected to be sidelined for at least three to four weeks, but he seems to have beaten that timeline by a solid amount given that he’s returning just 18 days after the injury occurred. The infielder doesn’t offer much in the way of offense to the Rays, as a career .195/.286/.298 hitter who slashed just .220/.319/.380 last year. But he’s a consistent threat to steal 15 to 20 bases a year and plays strong defense at shortstop with +17 Defensive Runs Saved last year for his work at shortstop (and +18 DRS overall).
Walls’s return to the lineup ends Williams’s latest stay in the majors. The 22-year-old was the Rays’ first-round pick back in 2021 and made his MLB debut last year. In 39 games at the big league level, Williams has not yet had any success at the plate to speak of with just a .164/.209/.320 slash line across 131 plate appearances. That hasn’t stopped him from being a consensus top-100 prospect entering this year, but his rankings near the bottom of those lists are a far cry from the consensus top-10 status he had entering last year. That reflects real questions about if Williams will be able to hit in the majors after a rough start to his big league career and him hitting a mediocre .213/.318/.447 with a 34.1% strikeout rate even at Triple-A.
Those numbers won’t play in the majors, so it’s hardly a surprise that the Rays have opted to send their prized shortstop prospect back down to the minors in hopes that more time to develop will help him overcome his contact woes. If he can get back on track hitting-wise, the rest of the package is there for an elite shortstop. He’s got real power with 28 homers (48 extra-base hits) between Triple-A and the majors last year. He’s widely regarded as an excellent defender at shortstop who should have no issues sticking at the position. And his speed has allowed him to swipe between 20 and 30 bags every year. Plus defensive shortstops with 30/30 potential aren’t easy to come by, and one need look no further than the peak of someone like Javier Baez to see how productive a player can be even with a subpar hit tool.
For now, though, it’s only become clearer that Williams needs more time to develop at Triple-A. He should remain there for quite some time at this point, barring another injury to the club’s infield mix. Aside from second baseman Richie Palacios, who is already on the big league bench, non-roster veteran Logan Davidson and his career strikeout rate north of 40% in the majors are the closest thing to a next-man-up available in the Rays organization outside of Williams.
The Opener: Rays, Trout, Pitchers’ Duel
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Rays return to the Trop:
Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is set to host its first MLB game since 2024 today. The renovations for the Rays’ current home stadium are now complete, and the club is poised to celebrate with a game against the Cubs later today. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10pm local time, with staff ace Shane McClanahan set to make his second start of the year after returning to the big league mound for the first time since 2023 last week. McClanahan’s opponent will be veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon, who pitched around plenty of traffic on the basepaths to post 4 2/3 scoreless frames for the Cubs his last time out. As noted by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, gates will open at 2:10pm local time for today’s game and fans are asked to be in their seats by 3:30pm local time for pregame ceremonies.
2. Trout day-to-day:
Future Hall of Famer Mike Trout has begun the season healthy, which is good news on its own given how often he’s been injured in recent years. Better yet, he’s looking good at the plate with a .212/.435/.424 slash line and a strikeout rate of just 26.1% after punching out more than 30% of the time last year and posting a career-low wRC+ of 120. While Trout seems to be back to something resembling his old self, Angels fans got a big scare yesterday when he left the game after being hit by a pitch on his hand. Fortunately, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (among others) relayed yesterday that x-rays on Trout’s hand came back negative, and that he’s day-to-day after the incident. Trout noted to reporters (including Bollinger) that his hand was swollen after the incident. While it’s fortunate he appears to have avoided a serious injury, he still might be sidelined for a couple of days or so if the swelling persists. If Trout does end up missing time, Bryce Teodosio could get some looks in center field.
3. Pitchers’ duel today in the AL West:
An early meeting between two division rivals will see two of the most impressive pitchers in baseball face off on the mound today. The Mariners are headed to Globe Life Field in Texas for a 7:05pm local time game against the Rangers, and Seattle will be sending star right-hander Logan Gilbert to the mound coming off a 2025 season where he was limited to just 25 starts but turned in a solid 3.44 ERA with a 3.35 FIP. He’ll be facing off against veteran righty Jacob deGrom, who enjoyed his first healthy season in years last season and managed a 2.97 ERA in 172 2/3 innings of work that year. So far, neither deGrom nor Gilbert has gotten the results they’ve wanted in 2026, though they’ve gotten strong peripheral results. Will one or both be able to turn those peripherals into production tonight?
Astros Place Hunter Brown On Injured List With Shoulder Strain
1:40pm: Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relays that, according to manager Joe Espada, Brown felt off during his throwing program on Friday and underwent imaging before returning to Houston to be evaluated by team doctors. It’s possible the Astros will have a clearer picture of Brown’s timeline for return once he’s been more thoroughly examined by the team’s medical staff.
12:44pm: The Astros are placing right-hander Hunter Brown on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain. Right-hander Christian Roa was recalled to the majors to replace Brown on the roster.
Brown, 27, broke out last year to become one of the top pitchers in the entire sport. In 31 starts last year, Brown pitched to a 2.43 ERA and struck out opponents at a 28.3% clip. He earned his first career All-Star nod and finished third behind Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet in the AL Cy Young award race. Through two starts this year, he was arguably even better with a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with a 39.5% strikeout rate. After losing Framber Valdez to free agency over the offseason, the Astros entered the year counting on Brown to lead their rotation as they look to make their way back into the postseason picture.
All of that is now on hold for the time being. While it’s unclear just how much time Brown should be expected to miss, even a minimum stint on the shelf constitutes a big blow to the Astros. A longer one could be devastating. Mike Burrows, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, and Lance McCullers Jr. make up the rest of Houston’s Opening Day rotation. Burrows has significant upside but has struggled so far this year. McCullers looked quite good in his first start of the year last week but pitched to a 6.15 ERA last season and last threw even 60 innings at the big league level back in 2021. Javier offered reasons for optimism after returning from Tommy John surgery last year but has been shelled for six earned runs in each of his first two starts this season. Losing Brown from the top of a rotation that already has so many question marks is going to be hard to stomach.
In the long-term, the Astros figure to turn to a depth option like Spencer Arrighetti, Colton Gordon, or perhaps even prospect Miguel Ullola to fill the void. The good news for Houston is that they’ve shown a remarkable ability to weather the storm of rotation injuries in recent years, getting passable or better production from little-known youngsters and depth pieces. Arrighetti has a bit more name recognition than that after a solid start to his career, and after two scoreless starts at Triple-A to open the season he seems likely to be the Astros’ first choice to replace Brown. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes that the Astros were expected to a move to a six-man rotation this week prior to the news regarding Brown thanks to an upcoming stretch in the schedule where they play 13 consecutive games without a day off. If that’s still the plan, the Astros will need to turn to multiple Triple-A arms to fill out a rotation that now has just four active members.
For now, however, the team is turning to Roa to fill Brown’s roster spot. Brown’s spot in the rotation won’t come up until tomorrow, and so the Astros can afford to give their bullpen some extra depth for the time being as they figure out what direction they want to go in with Brown sidelined. Roa surrendered a run in 1 1/3 innings of work during his first stint with the club earlier this year and has a career 2.08 ERA in four appearances after briefly making his big league debut as a member of the Marlins last year. The righty sports a career 4.52 ERA in 171 2/3 innings of work as a swing man at the Triple-A level, and while he won’t be an impact arm for the Astros he should be capable of eating innings in long or middle relief for the club over the next few days as they figure out their longer-term pitching plan.