Houston Astros Starting Pitching Injuries Could Test Rotation's Depth

With the Houston Astros off to a slow start in 2025, there are some valid concerns about the team this season.

After what was a wild winter, the Astros were going to have a lot of pressure on them to perform well early on this year.

Houston lost some key players in Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman this offseason, and those caliber of players aren’t easy to replace.

So far, the offense has been a big disappointment outside of Jose Altuve, which was somewhat to be expected after the roster decisions they made.

However, this was a franchise that was expecting to be able to lean on their starting rotation. This is a unit that has a lot of talent, but the results have been mixed so far.

Luckily, right-hander Hunter Brown appears like he is going to have his breakout campaign and challenge for a spot on the All-Star team. However, there isn't a lot of other help around him right now in terms of positive production, and that is a bit of a problem.

Furthermore, the depth of the rotation is once again being tested after a significant injury took out one of their emerging young starters.

Andy McCullough of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the depth of the starting rotation being tested for the Astros once again early in the campaign.

“Houston has grown accustomed to pitching injuries that require surgery. A new one won’t involve a procedure, but it will still deplete the big-league club. Spencer Arrighetti could miss up to six weeks after sustaining a broken thumb from a batted ball before a game last week," he wrote.

Houston is no stranger to injuries to the starting rotation. Last year, the unit was really banged up, and it contributed to their really slow start.

However, it did result in some young pitchers like Spencer Arrighetti getting a chance. Even though his results weren’t great early on, the lack of alternative options resulted in him getting a chance to figure it out.

In the second half of the season, he performed really well and figured to be a key contributor this year.

Unfortunately, it is now Arrighetti who will be out after a freak hand injury during batting practice.

With the depth being tested early for the rotation, it doesn’t come at a good time. There is already a lot of pressure on the team due to the slow start and the roster not looking as talented as last year.

While there are options, injuries have become a massive issue in recent seasons for the rotation and could pose a problem in 2025.

It's possible that Lance McCullers Jr. could return later this month. Houston is hopeful that, at some point, Luis Garcia and J.P. France can return from major injuries, too. That would help.

But would it be too lake to stop a slide in the AL West?