Breaking: Hayden Wesneski Takes Center Stage: Astros’ Boss Reveals Plan for His Breakout Season
The most overlooked player right now in the Kyle Tucker trade package is pitcher Hayden Wesneski.
That’s not necessarily a knock on the right-hander, or fans and analysts who are analyzing this return for the Houston Astros, but with Isaac Paredes coming off an All-Star showing in 2024 and Cam Smith already being their top-ranked prospect, Wesneski feels like the third wheel.
He’ll have a chance to change that perception.
The Astros were looking for pitching this winter, both for the starting staff and in the bullpen, especially because they released Jose Urquidy, Cristian Javier’s surgery recovery timeline is murky, and no one really knows how Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. are going to perform following their long-term injuries.
Wesneski is a candidate for both spots.
In his three-year career, he’s started 22 times out of his 68 appearances, pitching to a 3.93 ERA across 190 innings pitched.
Houston could look to use the right-hander in either role, but general manager Dana Brown made it clear which one they are eyeing for him.
“We’re going to give him every opportunity to start. We also know he can go to the bullpen and be really good. We made this trade projecting he would be a starter. So we have him as a starter,” he said per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
With him in the mix for a starting job, their projected rotation consists of Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti and Wesneski.
That’s not even taking into account Garcia and McCullers Jr., but they could very well be used in the bullpen coming off their injuries.
It will be interesting to see what happens during Spring Training.
Wesneski would have to have a very poor showing in camp for the Astros to change course based on what Brown stated, but with there being multiple players vying for a spot in the rotation, nothing has bene written in stone just yet.
