RADIO
Ronel Blanco to Make Another Rehab Start
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco (elbow) is scheduled to make another rehab start at Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday. Blanco was being considered as an option to return for Sunday's series finale against the Texas Rangers. Instead, the Astros will give Blanco at least one more rehab start. His most recent outing was cut short due to the weather, so the Astros want Blanco to build up his pitch count some more before he returns to the team. The right-hander has been working his way back from season-ending right elbow surgery from last year. He should be able to contribute to the Astros rotation during the second half of the season. Blanco could be a possible deep league option in the second half.
Source: Matt Kawahara
Source: Matt Kawahara
Mike Burrows Demoted to Triple-A
The Houston Astros optioned right-hander Mike Burrows to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday and recalled rookie reliever Alimber Santa from the minors in a corresponding move, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The 26-year-old former 11th-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 just hasn't been good in 2026 in his first year with Houston (third overall in the majors), going 4-9 with a 5.99 ERA (5.65 FIP) and 1.55 WHIP with 75 strikeouts and 35 walks in 94 2/3 innings pitched over his 18 appearances (17 starts). Burrows leads the league in losses (nine) and earned runs allowed (63), and the Astros have seen enough after he gave up 10 runs (season-high seven earned runs) on nine hits (two homers) while walking two and striking out three in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Washington Nationals on Monday. In his last 10 outings, Burrows has a 6.84 ERA. He could make his way back into the Astros' starting rotation in the second half, but fantasy managers in mixed leagues can stay away. He's rostered in only 12% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Tatsuya Imai Worth a Waiver Claim for Strikeouts?
Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai is a tough player to trust, but the strikeouts keep him on the waiver-wire radar. The 28-year-old is 5-4 with a 6.14 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts through 48 1/3 innings. He struck out 11 over six innings against Cleveland on June 19 and followed with 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings at Detroit on June 25. Then came the reminder of why he is still available. Imai lasted only 1 1/3 innings against Minnesota on July 1, allowing five runs and walking five. His 27.9% strikeout rate is useful, but a 14.0% walk rate and 46.3% hard-hit rate explain the ugly ratios. Imai is rostered in 40% of Yahoo leagues, and RotoBaller lists him as an add in 12-team formats. He fits teams chasing strikeouts, not managers protecting ERA and WHIP.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Miguel Ullola Called Up to Majors
Houston Astros pitcher Miguel Ullola has been recalled to the big league roster on Saturday. Ullola will make his first trip to the big league roster in his career. As a starting pitcher, Ullola has struggled with a 6.21 ERA across 10 starts with Triple-A Sugar Land. They decided to shift him to the bullpen, which has turned out to be a good decision. Since moving to the bullpen, Ullola owns a 2.70 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 10 innings. The assumption is that he'll be used in the big league bullpen, which won't result in much fantasy value. Fantasy managers in deep leagues should keep Ullola on their radar in case he does end up in the rotation.
Source: Chandler Rome
Source: Chandler Rome
Tatsuya Imai a Priority Waiver-Wire Pickup After 10-K Outing
Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai's surface stats still look pretty shaky in his first year in the big leagues, but after a rough start to his first season in the States, the 28-year-old has looked more dominant of late and needs to attract interest on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues. Imai was extremely hard to hit for the second straight outing in Thursday night's 2-1 win over the hosting Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, tossing six shutout innings with only two hits allowed, one walk, and 10 strikeouts to drop his season ERA to 5.36. It was his fifth victory of the year. The Japanese native gave up five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning on June 12 to the Kansas City Royals, but he has now fanned 21 hitters with only three runs allowed and one walk in 12 innings in his last two starts. Imai was sent to the injured list early in his MLB debut due to a dead arm, and while it hasn't been perfect since his return, he is definitely looking much more like the pitcher the Astros invested in over the offseason. He should be a popular waiver-wire pickup heading into his next scheduled start against the Minnesota Twins. Imai is rostered in 45% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Mike Burrows To Start Against Blue Jays on Wednesday
Houston Astros right-hander Mike Burrows is scheduled to make the start in Wednesday's series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Burrows was moved to a relief role over the weekend and threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen on Friday against the Cleveland Guardians. The 26-year-old will return to start this week against Toronto, but he might be heading right back to the bullpen after that, so fantasy managers in deeper leagues won't necessarily want to jump on board. In his 15 appearances (14 starts) for the Astros in 2026 in his first year with the team, Burrows has struggled to the tune of a 3-8 record, 5.79 ERA (5.64 FIP), and 1.58 WHIP with 66 strikeouts and 30 walks in 79 1/3 innings pitched. He has allowed a league-high 51 earned runs and will be a volatile streaming option for fantasy managers on Wednesday, even in a good matchup against the Blue Jays. Toronto ranks just 23rd in the league in OPS (.703), but they also have the second-fewest strikeouts in the league (562).
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Tatsuya Imai Bounces Back With Career-High 11 Strikeouts on Friday
Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai got off to a rough start to his first year in the United States and landed on the injured list with a dead arm. The 28-year-old Japanese native entered his start on Friday night at Daikin Park against the Cleveland Guardians with an ugly 6.43 ERA (5.24 FIP) and 1.51 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and 24 walks in 35 innings over his first nine starts and looking to rebound after giving up five earned runs on four hits while walking one and striking out one in just two-thirds of an inning his last time out on June 12 against the Kansas City Royals. He did just that on Friday night, picking up his fourth win of 2026 by giving up three earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out a career-high 11 batters in six innings pitched. It was only the second time in his first 10 MLB outings that he didn't allow a walk, and Imai did most of his damage against Cleveland with his nasty slider. Imai's ERA still sits above 6.00, but he has now recorded three quality starts in his last five outings and looks to be turning a corner as we near the All-Star break next month.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Mike Burrows Being Skipped in Astros Rotation
The Houston Astros are going with pitchers Tatsuya Imai, Spencer Arrighetti, and Kai-Wei Teng for their upcoming three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians this weekend, which means they will skip right-hander Mike Burrows, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Burrows will be skipped in the rotation for the time being, but with right-hander Cristian Javier (shoulder) potentially returning to the big-league roster soon, the 26-year-old could be moved to a relief role entirely after his struggles in 2026. The former 11th-rounder by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 has gone 3-8 this year with a bloated 5.86 ERA (5.69 FIP) and 1.58 WHIP with 65 strikeouts and 30 walks in 78 1/3 frames across his 14 starts in his first season with the Astros (third total in the majors). Burrows leads the league in hits allowed (94) and earned runs (51) as well. He's really fallen apart in his last six starts, allowing 29 runs (26 earned) on 42 hits (10 homers) while walking 16 and striking out 23 in 33 2/3 innings pitched. Burrows has quickly lost most of what little fantasy value he had, and he's now rostered in only 12% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
Source: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
Hunter Brown Set to Return to Astros Rotation on Tuesday
Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (shoulder) will return to his team's rotation on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Brown has been on the injured list since early April due to a shoulder strain. The 27-year-old was one of the better pitchers in baseball in 2025, recording a 12-9 record with a 2.43 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 206 strikeouts across 185 1/3 innings (31 starts). He's largely looked like himself in his minor league outings while rehabbing the shoulder injury, recording a 1.88 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts across 14 1/3 innings (four starts). Upon his return, Brown profiles as a must-start starting pitcher with SP1 upside for fantasy managers.
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Hunter Brown Fans Seven in Five Innings in Rehab Start
Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (shoulder) looked good on Wednesday night in what could be his final minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while walking two and striking out seven in five innings against Triple-A Sacramento. Brown threw 45 of his 74 pitches for strikes in the contest and generated 11 swings and misses while averaging 96.4 mph on his fastball. The 27-year-old could very well be making his next start with the Astros after working his way back from a Grade 2 strain in his right shoulder that landed him on the injured list in early April. If Brown is reinstated from the 60-day IL to rejoin Houston's starting rotation, his next outing would come next week versus the Detroit Tigers. The former fifth-rounder in 2019 out of Wayne State University will be a must-start when he returns after proving to be a fantasy ace in his breakout season in 2025. In his two starts this year before injuring his shoulder, he had a 0.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 17 K's in 10 2/3 innings.
Source: Milb.com
Source: Milb.com
Hunter Brown Not Yet Ready for a Return
Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (shoulder) is set to make his next rehab start this Wednesday for Triple-A Sugar Land. There was some speculation that he would be ready to return to the Astros following his start on Thursday, but the team has determined that he needs one more rehab outing before being activated from the Injured List. The 27-year-old has posted a 1.93 ERA across three rehab appearances, striking out 14 batters along the way. He threw 57 pitches in his most recent start, and the expectation is that he will build on that workload this Wednesday. Manager Joe Espada has said that Brown looks and feels good, but the exact timeline for his return has yet to be finalized.
Source: Brian McTaggart
Source: Brian McTaggart
Hunter Brown Could Make Next Start with Astros
Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (elbow) appears to be extremely close to rejoining the big league club. Brown made his third rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday. The right-hander reportedly felt good after the 57-pitch outing. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters on Friday that Brown could potentially return to the Astros next week. The right-hander has been out since early April due to an elbow issue. The team should make a final decision in the coming days. Fantasy managers could get Brown back into the mix as early as next week.
Source: Brian McTaggart
Source: Brian McTaggart
Hunter Brown Goes 4 1/3 Innings in Latest Rehab Start
Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (elbow) took the next step in his recovery by throwing 4 1/3 innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday in a no-decision against Triple-A El Paso. Brown allowed just one earned run on three hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out four. He threw 38 of his 57 pitches for strikes and touched 98.9 mph on the radar gun. Brown is looking good so far on his minor-league rehab assignment, but he's likely to need at least one more start on the farm before the Astros reinstate him from the 60-day injured list around mid-June. The 27-year-old now has a 1.93 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, and 14:1 K:BB in 9 1/3 frames over his three rehab starts with Sugar Land and Double-A Corpus Christi. Brown is a fantasy ace when healthy after breaking out for the Astros in 2025. The former fifth-rounder in 2019 out of Wayne State University was 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in his two starts in 2026 before encountering elbow issues. Brown should definitely not be available on any waiver wires in fantasy leagues.
Source: Milb.com
Source: Milb.com
Hunter Brown to Make Another Rehab Start on Thursday
Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (shoulder) threw a bullpen on Tuesday at Daikin Park and will make his next minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land at El Paso on Thursday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Depending on how Brown fares this week, it could be the 27-year-old's final rehab tune-up before he is reinstated from the 60-day injured list. He has been recovering from a strained right shoulder that has limited him to just two starts in 2026. Brown allowed one run with five strikeouts and no walks in his most recent rehab start with Sugar Land last Friday over just three innings. He will be looking to build his pitch count and get stretched out on Thursday. Brown, a former fifth-rounder in 2019 out of Wayne State University, broke out for the Astros in 2025 and had allowed only one earned run with six walks and 17 punchouts in 10 2/3 innings in his first two starts this season before his shoulder ailment sidelined him. Brown is a fantasy ace when healthy and should not be available in any leagues.
Source: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
Source: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
Spencer Arrighetti a Must-Add Starter in Fantasy Baseball
Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti is off to a terrific start this season, posting a 1.32 ERA and 2.3% HR/FB rate across seven appearances. So far, he's 6-1 with 8.78 K/9, 5.49 BB/9, and 0.22 HR/9. The walk rate is less ideal, and we don't love that his FIP is more than two full points higher than his ERA, but the results speak for themselves. Arrighetti has been a valuable starter in fantasy baseball this season, and he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts (12.1 innings). As long as he keeps it up, he'll remain a priority target on the waiver wire for the rest of the season. Currently, Arrighetti ranks as the #86 starter in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings, and he's still available in approximately to be added in 42% of leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
