Houston Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski is scheduled to make his season debut on Wednesday, starting the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.
Wesneski returns after recovering from Tommy John surgery, an absence of nearly 15 months. His last Major League appearance was on May 6, 2025.
He takes the rotation spot vacated by Spencer Arrighetti, who was placed on the injured list with right foot nerve irritation.
Acquired from the Chicago Cubs in December 2024 as part of the Kyle Tucker trade, Wesneski posted a 1-3 record with a 4.50 ERA in 32 innings before his injury last season.
During his minor league rehab, he logged a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 20 innings across five starts, striking out 21 batters and walking four.
In his final rehab outing at Triple-A Sugar Land, he threw 80 pitches over 4 1/3 innings.
Wesneski Reflects on Recovery Journey
“I’m going to be nervous,” Wesneski said. “I’m excited about it.
I don’t know how to act tomorrow, to be honest with you.”
He credited teammate Ronel Blanco, who underwent similar surgery around the same time and returned to the rotation on July 20, for support during rehabilitation.
“Certain times were fine and certain times it wasn’t,” Wesneski said. “It had ebbs and flows.
The first eight weeks with the brace weren’t great, but having Ronel Blanco next to me really did help a lot.”
Evaluating his minor league performance, Wesneski noted positive signs regarding his pitch execution and strike zone command.
“The stuff has felt good,” he said.
“There are times it felt inconsistent, but for the most part I’ve thrown a lot of strikes, which is the biggest deal.”
The Astros enter Tuesday with the majors' third-highest ERA, and rotation depth remains a challenge.
Starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai struggled on Monday, lasting only two outs and throwing 33 pitches against the Angels, bringing his season ERA to 5.83 across 15 starts.
Manager Joe Espada said the team discussed adjustments with Imai but has not finalized plans for his next turn in the rotation.
“We talked about a couple of things we saw during the game, gave him a few ideas of how to prepare and make some adjustments for his next outing,” Espada said.
“We did not discuss any plans for his next turn in the rotation.”
Espada attributed Imai's recent command issues to mechanical problems, including his direction and release point consistency. “We’re here to help him out,” Espada said.
“We’ll work through this with him. We believe in his stuff, and when he’s on, he’s really good.”
