Today, the Houston Astros officially announced the following roster moves:
- RHP Ronel Blanco and LHP Bennett Sousa have been reinstated from the 60-day IL.
- IF Raynel Delgado has been optioned to Triple A.
- LHP Bryan King was optioned to Triple A after yesterday’s game.
Blanco will start tonight’s game against the Marlins at Daikin Park, joining the Astros battered rotation.
Sousa will likely reclaim a leverage role very soon, if not immediately. Sousa had ascended to being the primary setup man for Bryan Abreu after Josh Hader’s injury before he was injured himself.
King is suffering though the worst stretch of his career, having allowed 5 HR in his last 4 outings, including at least 1 HR allowed in each.
King has been a valuable piece of the Astros pen since his call up in 2024, so it’s likely this demotion will either be only as long as it takes him to get right or until we find out he will be retroactively placed on IL.
Delgado’s versatility makes him a valuable depth piece, but with Jeremy Pena and Christian Walker avoiding the IL for the time being, doesn’t have a spot on the roster right now.
The Astros are now back to 13 pitchers and 13 position players on the active roster.
