Ronel Blanco (elbow) begins rehab assignment

Lance McCullers Jr. (shoulder) and Ronel Blanco (elbow) are scheduled to pitch in the same rehab contest. The 28-year-old shortstop hit the injured list with a mild calf strain last week and figures to return to Houston before next week’s All-Star break. He was just starting to really find his stride at the dish prior to the injury, hitting .319 (29-for-91) with three homers, 13 RBI and five steals in the month of June.

The Astros needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to promote Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Sugar Land, so this accomplished that feat. Blanco is still in the process of recovering from Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to return until late in the second half of the season.

It’s merely a procedural move as Blanco is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery last June. The 32-year-old righty could potentially make it back to Houston’s rotation before the regular season wraps up.

Blanco’s surgery also included a repair of the flexor tendon in his right forearm. The 31-year-old righty is facing a long road back. Fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate him returning until the late stages of the 2026 season, even in a best-case scenario.

It’s merely a procedural move to clear a spot on Houston’s 40-man roster. The 31-year-old righty is set to undergo season-ending elbow surgery this week and will likely be sidelined until the second half of the 2026 season.

Blanco had sought a second opinion on his injured elbow last week, and now we know the result of that visit. The 31-year-old will miss the remainder of the 2025 season and likely at least the first half of the 2026 season. By then, the Astros will likely have Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and J.P. France all back in their rotation, so Blanco’s future role in Houston is a bit up in the air after this latest development.

Astros’ general manager Dana Brown told reporters on Thursday that Blanco is seeking a second opinion on his injured elbow and the team would have a better feel for his status after that examination. It sounds like he’s going to be shelved for a while. No word yet on the corresponding move or how the Astros plan to fill his spot in the rotation.

That’s never good news. We’ll probably have news later this week on how that evaluation went, but a trip to the injured list seems likely for Blanco. The Astros’ rotation is already without Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, and Hayden Wesneski, so losing Blanco would be a big blow. That would likely mean Brandon Walter, who pitched well on Tuesday, could get a chance to have a longer stay in the Astros rotation with AJ Blubaugh and Colton Gordon battling for the other spot.

Blanco shut out the Reds for eight innings in his last start, but outings like tonight have been the norm for him this year. In fact, he’s given up exactly three runs in five of his nine starts while going 3-4 with a 4.10 ERA. He’ll pitch at home against the Mariners next time out.

Blanco gave up two hits, walked one and struck out 11. It was a dominant performance for the 31-year-old right-hander. While Blanco had a 2.80 ERA last year, his xFIP was 4.09. This year, his ERA is 4.04 and his xFIP is 4.06 after eight starts. Blanco is a solid pitcher with more strikeouts (43) than innings pitched (42 1/3) this year, but it’s unlikely he’ll go on another run to get his ERA down under 3.00. Blanco is lined up to face the Rangers on the road next weekend.