3 Astros who won’t be on the roster by May 1
By Ethan Lee
As the Houston Astros work to figure out who will be on their roster in May, here are three players to keep an eye on and see if they’ll make the cut.
The Houston Astros, like every other Major League Baseball team, will be facing the tough task of trimming their roster in the relatively near future. Because Spring Training was screwed up by the lockout, a total of 28 players were allowed to be on MLB rosters through April.
That extra time could be incredibly beneficial for player development and for teams to figure out how they want to look as the season goes on.
Of course, with Lance McCullers still working on recovering and eventually returning once he’s healthy and able to play, the Astros might make some interesting and creative moves here and there later down the line.
But that’s a problem for a later date. Right now, the Astros, like every other franchise, are focused on trying to figure out what their roster will look like once it has to go from 28 players down to 26. As such, keep an eye on these three players who may end up off the roster once May rolls around.
Houston Astros: 3 players that may not make the Astros’ 26-man roster by May 1
3. Ronel Blanco
The Astros currently have 15 pitchers on their roster. Expect that number to get trimmed down some in May. Unfortunately for Ronel Blanco, there’s a chance that he may be moved as the Astros have to adjust their roster a bit. The 28-year-old pitcher has shown some potential at times and will almost certainly have an opportunity to continue to prove that he belongs with the Astros.
However, Blanco would need to be a little better than he was in his recent outing against the Los Angeles Angels for Houston. Blanco was able to record three strikeouts in 1.1 innings pitched, but he did walk a batter and gave up a couple hits.
The Astros would benefit greatly if a relatively younger pitcher from the bullpen happened to step up this season. While Blanco is 28, it seems like he just might have the potential to be someone who could have an important impact later down the line. Or maybe he surprises some folks and shows he deserves one of Houston’s 26 roster spots.