Jason

Alexander

This outcome was inevitable after Alexander surrendered nine runs over six innings during Tuesday’s contest against the Rangers. Amazingly, he managed to complete six frames, sparing Houston’s bullpen in the process, after an eight-run meltdown in the opening frame.

The Rangers were angry that day, my friends. After getting no-hit on Monday, the club responded with eight runs in the first inning Tuesday. Alexander survived the thrashing and allowed just one run over the following five innings, but this still leaves him with a 9.33 ERA after two starts and two relief appearances. The Astros have Monday off, so Alexander will probably head to the pen for a spell.

Alexander wasn’t even scheduled to start this game, but was thrust into the role when Lance McCullers was scratched with shoulder inflammation. Alexander responded by throwing 63 percent strikes with an 11 percent swinging strike rate. He faced mainly left-handed hitters in this one, getting ahead early with the four-seamer and then using the changeup down for whiffs. It remains to be seen if he will stick in the rotation, but it seems likely that McCullers will head to the injured list, which would free up a spot for Alexander.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters McCullers has been pitching through the shoulder issue for a few starts but didn’t bounce back as hoped this week following his latest outing. He’ll return to Houston to undergo further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue and his next steps. It certainly sounds like he’s headed to the injured list. It’ll be Jason Alexander taking the ball to open a bullpen game on Tuesday against the Twins.

No word on the reason for the move. It’ll be Jason Alexander making a spot start in his place. It’s worth noting that McCullers has been pitching through a lingering fingernail issue that cropped up earlier this month during a start against the Dodgers. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Alexander returns to the majors after allowing five runs over 4 1/3 innings in long relief during his lone appearance in the majors earlier this month. The 33-year-old swingman has made 16 appearances for the Astros over the past two years.

Alexander retreats to the minors after allowing five runs over 4 1/3 innings in long relief during Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Dodgers after starter Lance McCullers Jr. left the contest with a finger injury. The move frees up a spot for Houston to bring up a fresh arm for Friday’s series opener against the Reds.

Alexander gets the nod to replace a struggling Ryan Weiss in a swingman role for the Astros. The 33-year-old has made 15 appearances for Houston over the last two seasons. He doesn’t offer any fantasy appeal in his current role.

The Astros will transition to a six-man rotation around mid-April when they hit a stretch of 13 consecutive games without an off-day. Hunter Brown and Tatsuya Imai are the only locks right now with Cristian Javier, Mike Burrows and Lance McCullers Jr. figuring to break camp in the rotation as well. The battle for the sixth spot in the rotation involves a combination of Spencer Arrighetti, AJ Blubaugh and Peter Lambert. The other option is to bring up someone like Jason Alexander or Colton Gordon a couple weeks into the year.

With an option remaining, Alexander was always a longshot to make the Astros’ Opening Day roster. He didn’t help his cause in Grapefruit League action though, registering a 6.35 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and a 3/3 K/BB ratio over 5 2/3 innings in his three starts. He’ll get an opportunity with the Astros at some point during the 2026 campaign.