The Houston Astros announced to reporters, including Chandler Rome of The Athletic, that pitching prospect AJ Blubaugh will make his major league debut on Wednesday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers. Blubaugh boasts a 3.86 ERA across his first 21 Triple-A innings. He represented the Astros in the Futures Game last season. Blubaugh, 24, finished with a 4.19 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Right-hander Bryan Abreu has been placed on the paternity list to clear a spot for the active roster.
AJ Blubaugh to Make Debut Against Detroit
Blubaugh is the fourth Astros player to make their major league debut this season, joining pitchers Ryan Gusto and Logan VanWey and outfielder Cam Smith. The 24-year-old will fill in for Hayden Wesneski, who is being pushed back to allow for more recovery time from his last start.
Blubaugh keeps his stuff simple, relying on his fastball and changeup. It was when he got with the Astros that he started spinning the ball. Now, he throws five pitches, including a sweeper, a higher slider and a hard curveball. His fastball also has good potential, touching 97 mph, but sitting consistently at 94 mph.
#Astros have called up pitching prospect AJ Blubaugh, per @AriA1exander. He has a 3.86 ERA with 28 K in 21 innings this season in Triple-A. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/d4LAE3JIt6
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) April 30, 2025
Where Blubaugh Ranks as a Prospect
Entering Opening Day, MLB Pipeline ranked Blubaugh as the Astros’ No. 10 overall prospect and No. 5 among pitchers. Except for Miguel Ullola in Triple-A Sugar Land, the pitchers ranked ahead of him were all in Double-A or lower.
Blubaugh quickly climbed the Astros’ minor league system. After being drafted in 2022, he made six appearances that year. He opened the 2023 season with High-A Asheville and earned a late-season promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi. He returned to Corpus Christi to start last season but was soon called up to Sugar Land, where he stayed.
Main Photo: © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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