Forrest Whitley is being called up. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images.
It's no secret the Astros have dealt with their fair share of injuries and lackluster performances at this early stage in the season. The hitting has been a little inconsistent, but overall has been good, posting a Top-3 team OPS.
The pitching, however, is the club's biggest area of concern. They currently have the second-worst team ERA in baseball. That should get corrected soon with Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez working their way back in the rotation. But in the meantime, the Astros need some fresh arms in the bullpen.
According to multiple reports, the Astros are calling up former 2016 first round pick, Forrest Whitley.
The Astros needed a fresh arm, Forrest Whitley is on the 40-man roster and their many other optionable relievers in Triple-A haven’t been down long enough to be recalled without putting someone on the IL.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 16, 2024
It's been a long time coming for Whitley, who is yet to make his big league debut with the club. Whitley (age 26) has dealt with countless injuries since being drafted by Houston.
He pitched 30 innings for Triple-A Sugar Land in 2023 recording a 5.70 ERA. This spring, Whitley got injured once again. He's only pitched 3 innings for Sugar Land in 2024, allowing 4 runs with an ERA of 12.00.
Hopefully, Whitley finds success with his high-powered fastball and finally shows the potential that got him drafted in the first round almost eight years ago.
Houston Astros have a new plan in place to address their biggest weakness
Apr 29, 2024, 3:19 pm
The Houston Astros are promoting first baseman Joey Loperfido from Triple-A Sugar Land as they try to solve problems at the position.
The team announced Monday that Loperfido will be added to the roster before the start of Tuesday night’s series against Cleveland.
Joey Loperfido is H-Town bound. #Relentless pic.twitter.com/yIQulY7lTm
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 29, 2024
The move comes with veteran first baseman José Abreu off to a terrible start as the Astros have limped out to a 9-19 record, which is the second-worst in the American League. Abreu, who is in the second year of a three-year, $58.5 million contract, is hitting .099 with just one extra-base hit and three RBIs. In 77 plate appearances across 22 games this season, the 37-year-old has managed just seven hits.
The left-handed Loperfido will join the Astros after getting off to a terrific start in Sugar Land where he hit .287 with 13 homers and 27 RBIs in 25 games. The 13 homers lead the minor leagues and he's tied for third with 17 extra-base hits.
The 24-year-old, who is rated as Houston’s No. 6 prospect by MLB.com, was a seventh-round pick from Duke in the 2021 amateur draft. Loperfido, who is also an outfielder, spent four seasons in the team’s minor league system and was named Astros minor league player of the year last season.
Pitchers have nightmares about this man.
Joey Loperfido’s 13th home run of the season leads all of professional baseball 👏
📏 428 FT pic.twitter.com/XlxF821Azm
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) April 28, 2024
The Astros will make a corresponding roster move Tuesday when he is activated.
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