.jpg)
1 hour ago
4
The Houston Astros' starting rotation has been one of the most injured in baseball, with six pitchers on the injured list. These injuries have led the Astros to have the worst starting staff (5.99 ERA) in Major League Baseball (5.97).
The bullpen hasn’t been any better — second-worst in ERA (5.94) — but has had one bright spot, right-hander Kai-Wei Teng. Teng’s success as the Astros long man this season and the injuries to the starting rotation have led the Astros to ponder: Should Teng be moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation?
The Houston Astros may move Kai-Wei Teng to the starting rotation
According to Astros pitching coach Josh Miller, Teng’s success has put him into the conversation to move to the starting rotation.
“I mean, we're always looking for ways to optimally use the pitchers we have on our staff,” Astros pitching coach Josh Miller said to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. “You know, he certainly put himself in that conversation. He's got really good stuff, he's got dynamic weapons from both sides, and it should be a matter of finding a spot for him and stretching him out, if we choose to do that.”
Acquired from the San Francisco Giants for catcher Jancel Villarroel in the offseason, Teng has pitched to a 1.65 ERA and struck out 16 in 16.1 innings. Teng’s last outing was 2.2 innings of relief in the Astros 12-4 loss to the New York Yankees.
More News: Orioles activate veteran left-hander from injured list
The Astros should be cautious with Teng's usage, as he has not been great as a starting pitcher. In seven career starts (all with the Giants), Teng is 1-7 with a 7.66 ERA and has a 1.703 WHIP.
If Teng is to move to the starting rotation, it shouldn’t be for long. Right-handers Hunter Brown (Grade 2 shoulder strain) and Cristian Javier (Grade 2 right shoulder strain) should be back in late May/early June, while right-hander Tatsuya Imai (right arm fatigue) is expected back in May.
If Teng can hold things over until the Astros starting rotation gets healthy, then they should be in a good place moving forward. Despite being seven games under .500 (10-17), the Astros are still within reach of contending for the American League West (4.5 games out).
More News:
English (US)