Blanco undergoes elbow surgery for season reimbursement The Astros are on duty to add insult to injury

Less than two weeks after Hayden Wesneski underwent surgery to reimburse Tommy John, the Astros have suffered another blow — coach Joe Espada announced on Wednesday that starting pitcher Ronel Blanco will undergo the same surgery to bid an early farewell to the season.

The 30-year-old right-hand shooter, who threw a no-hitter in his first game of the season against the Blue Jays, is on the way to a breakthrough season, but is now the third member of the Astros' open-season five rotation to enter the injured roster (the first two being Wesneski and Spencer Arrighetti). Blanco finished last season with a 13-6 ERA of 2.80, a career-high pitching of 167.1 innings and a batting percentage of 0.190, while he had a 4.10 ERA (48.1 innings) in nine games this season.

"It's always very, very difficult to inform players about season reimbursement," said Espada, "and it's sad news that he's worked so hard to get to where he is today." The goal now is to make sure he is fully recovered and ready to return next season. The Astros have accumulated six starting pitchers, four of whom have undergone or are about to undergo Tommy John surgery (Wesnesky, Blanco, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia). J.P. Frans France) underwent capsule repair on his right shoulder, while Aligeti returned to pitching practice on Monday after suffering an accidental thumb fracture on April 7 and is expected to return in July.

Blanco's injury came suddenly: After conceding a three-point loss in six innings against the Rangers on May 17, he shot 92 balls without showing any anomalies, only to report a sore elbow two days later. "We didn't expect this at all," Espada admits. The Astros are currently backed by two of the league's top pitchers, Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, with rookies Ryan Gusto and Colton Gordon in the lead, and veteran Lance McCullers Jr. making his fifth comeback on Wednesday.

Blanco's comeback story adds to the tragedy: After transitioning from infielder to pitcher at the age of 18, he joined the Astros in 2016 for a $5,000 contract — while still working part-time at a car wash to support his family. With injuries to Justin Verlander and José Urquidy, Blanco is in the 2024 season opening rotation and pitches a no-hitter in his eighth career major league starter (April 1, 2024). Interestingly, a week before that historic race, Espada had just informed him that he had won the rotation – the same day his wife gave birth to her second child.

"When he was notified of his entry into the squad last year, it coincided with the birth of a child," Espada recalled, "and now he is told that he will be reimbursed for the season. It's very, very tough, but Blanco is a true fighter and we look forward to his strong return next year. The silence in the Houston locker room at this moment is a witness to the cruelty and warmth of the baseball world.