Astros pitcher AJ Blubaugh to make debut against Detroit, Abreu placed on paternity list

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros pitching prospect AJ Blubaugh will make his major league debut against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon.

A seventh-round pick in 2022 out of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Blubaugh joins the Astros after posting a 4.29 ERA in five outings, four of them starts, this season with 28 strikeouts over 21 innings. He is the first pitcher from that school to reach the majors.

“This young man has worked really hard to get to this spot, so I told him just to enjoy this moment, stay present, compete,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “It’s hard not to think about the people and the building, he’s got to take it all in, but go out there and compete and trust the process.”

The 24-year-old Blubaugh is taking the rotation spot of Hayden Wesneski, whose next start has been pushed back after he showed diminished velocity during his April 25 outing in Kansas City.

Wesneski’s next start could come during the Astros series in Milwaukee on May 5. He is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA through five starts this season.

To make room for Blubaugh on the 26-man roster, the Astros placed reliever Bryan Abreu on the paternity list. Espada said Abreu is expected to return for the team’s game in Chicago on Friday.

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