AJ Blubaugh - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Jeremy Peña hits 2 early homers, Yordan Alvarez hits 39th as Astros beat Royals 4-2

Jeremy Peña homered in his first two at-bats and Yordan Alvarez slugged his 39th home run to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals

1 DAY AGO • Associated Press

Deadspin | Boosted by emergence of AJ Blubaugh, Astros seek series win vs. White Sox Deadspin | Boosted by emergence of AJ Blubaugh, Astros seek series win vs. White Sox

SEPTEMBER 3 • DEADSPIN.COM

Another strong showing Blubaugh earned a hold in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Yankees, allowing one hit while striking out three over two scoreless innings.

Impact Blubaugh continues to impress in the backend of Houston's bullpen. The right-hander has held opponents scoreless in 11 of his last 13 appearances, posting a 0.93 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP across 19.1 innings in that span. Blubaugh's ERA is down to 3.17 through 82.1 innings this season with a 1.17 WHIP and 84:34 K:BB. He's totaled seven holds and one save.

AUGUST 28 • ROTOWIRE

Athletics rally with a 3-run 8th inning to beat the Astros 4-3, snapping a 5-game skid

Donovan Walton homered and Tommy White had three hits as the Athletics used a big eighth inning to rally for a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros and snap a five-game skid

AUGUST 23 • Associated Press

Fernando Tatis Jr. and newcomer Austin Hays power Padres to 7-2 victory over Astros

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and pinch-hitter Austin Hays connected for a two-run shot in his first at-bat with San Diego as the Padres beat the AL West-leadi...

AUGUST 10 • Associated Press

Why AJ Blubaugh is Now One of Astros' Most Reliable Bullpen Pieces Houston Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh has been an important piece in the Astros success this season.

AUGUST 8 • SI.COM

Earns first career save Blubaugh recorded his first major-league save Sunday against the Rangers, striking out one over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Impact With five relievers, including Josh Hader, having pitched the previous night, Blubaugh was called upon with two outs and two runners aboard in the eighth inning. He escaped the jam by striking out Jake Burger before retiring the Rangers in order on just nine pitches in the ninth to secure the first save of his MLB career. The right-hander has now recorded consecutive scoreless appearances for the first time since July 1, though he has continued to miss bats throughout that stretch, compiling a 21:3 K:BB across 16 innings.

AUGUST 3 • ROTOWIRE

Alvarez ties career high in hits, Peña homers and Astros use 4-run 7th inning to sweep Rangers 7-3

Yordan Alvarez tied a career high with four hits, Jeremy Peña hit a home run, and the Houston Astros used a four-run seventh inning to pull away from the Texas Rangers 7-3 and comp...

AUGUST 2 • Associated Press

Astros take advantage of Angels meltdown to score 4 runs in 9th inning for 6-4 win

LaMonte Wade Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk that forced home the go-ahead run in a four-run ninth inning, and the Houston Astros came back to beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-4

JULY 28 • Associated Press

Astros place RHP Spencer Arrighetti on IL with nerve irritation, recall LHP Bryan King from Triple-A

The Houston Astros placed right-handed starter Spencer Arrighetti on the 15-day injured list with nerve irritation in his right foot and recalled left-hander Bryan King from Triple...

JULY 25 • Associated Press

Walker, Smith spark the Astros' 8-run 6th inning in an 9-5 win over the White Sox

Christian Walker hit a three-run double, Cam Smith added a two-run homer in Houston’s eight-run sixth inning and the Astros overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Chicago White So...

JULY 25 • Associated Press

Astros' Spencer Arrighetti leaves start against White Sox in second inning with foot injury

Houston Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti left his start in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox with a foot injury

JULY 25 • Associated Press

Racking up Ks in bullpen Blubaugh struck out three and gave up one hit and one walk in a two-inning relief appearance in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles in 11 innings.

Impact With no saves and just four holds this season, Blubaugh hasn't handled a high-leverage role for Houston but has found success as a multi-inning reliever. He's been especially effective over his last 15 appearances, recorded multiple strikeouts in all but one of those outings while pitching to a 2.22 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 25.4 K-BB% across 28.1 innings during that stretch.

JULY 20 • ROTOWIRE

James Wood's grand slam helps power the Nationals to a 12-11 win over the Astros

James Wood hit a grand slam in the fifth inning and the Washington Nationals overcame a five-run deficit and held off the Houston Astros 12-11 in the opener of a three-game series

JULY 7 • Associated Press

Astros swingman emerges as logical Guardians trade candidate (and he has NEO roots) Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh would be a great fit in Cleveland's pitching staff thanks to his swingman roots.

JULY 4 • AWAYBACKGONE.COM

Imai strikes out 10 as Astros beat Tigers 2-1 and extend winning streak to 3 games

Tatsuya Imai struck out 10 in six scoreless innings and Taylor Trammell homered to lead the Houston Astros to a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night

JUNE 26 • Associated Press

Jeffers removed from Twins' opener vs. Astros with apparent injury MINNEAPOLIS – Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was removed from Monday’s 6-3 win against the Astros due to an apparent injury. Leading off the bot...

MAY 19 • MLB.COM

Solid in bulk role Blubaugh didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Red Sox, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out five.

Impact Jarren Duran's homer in the fifth inning was the lone run given up by Blubaugh, who served as Houston's bulk reliever Sunday after Cody Bolton went just 2.1 innings. While Blubaugh's ERA still sits at an uninspiring 5.32, the right-hander has been sharp of late, allowing just two runs while striking out 12 in his last 11.1 innings.

MAY 4 • ROTOWIRE

Former Ohio substitute teacher makes first appearance in front of hometown crowd CLEVELAND — As he walked off the mound at Progressive Field for the first time, AJ Blubaugh was afraid to look up into the stands. The sight...

APRIL 21 • MLB.COM

Michael Lorenzen throws efficiently into the 6th, Rockies beat Astros 9-1 to complete 3-game sweep

Hunter Goodman homered, Michael Lorenzen bounced back from a rough home opener by throwing efficiently into the sixth and the Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros 9-1 to comple...

APRIL 8 • Associated Press

Astros lose outfielder Jake Meyers, righty Cristian Javier with injuries in short span

The Houston Astros had a pair of players leave the game with injuries in the span of a few minutes during Wednesday's game against Colorado

APRIL 8 • Associated Press

Strong showing to begin 2026 Blubaugh has allowed one run on two hits, striking out six without a walk, across 5.1 innings in three appearances for the Astros this season. He earned his first career hold in We...

Impact Blubaugh seems to be finding his niche -- and climbing the ladder -- in the Houston bullpen, as he already has a win and now a hold through three outings to begin the 2026 season. The 25-year-old right-hander has averaged 96.4 mph on his four-seam fastball, up multiple ticks from last season when he broke in as more of a swingman. Houston figures to keep him shortened up a bit so he can max out with his impressive stuff and provide valuable leverage innings while the team navigates the absence of closer Josh Hader (biceps).

APRIL 3 • ROTOWIRE

Mike Trout homers to kick off what he hopes will be a healthy 2026 as Angels blank Astros 3-0

Mike Trout homered to launch what he hopes will be a bounce-back season, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on opening day

MARCH 26 • Associated Press

Competing for final rotation spot Blubaugh is a candidate to fill one of the Astros' final two rotation spots, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Impact Houston will open the year with a six-man rotation to smooth Tatsuya Imai's transition from the NPB. Per Rome, Spencer Arrighetti and Lance McCullers are the early favorites to claim the final two spots, though Blubaugh, along with Ryan Weiss and Peter Lambert, remains in the mix and could bolster his case with a strong spring. Blubaugh was impressive as a rookie in 2025, posting a 1.69 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP and 35 strikeouts across 32 innings. Even if he doesn't crack the rotation out of camp, Blubaugh figures to make the Opening Day roster as a bullpen option.

FEBRUARY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Word of the Day helps bridge language gap on Astros' multinational roster WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Astros pitcher AJ Blubaugh was one of the first to greet new teammate Tatsuya Imai in the early days of camp last w...

FEBRUARY 17 • MLB.COM

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Jeremy Peña hits 2 early homers, Yordan Alvarez hits 39th as Astros beat Royals 4-2

Athletics rally with a 3-run 8th inning to beat the Astros 4-3, snapping a 5-game skid

Fernando Tatis Jr. and newcomer Austin Hays power Padres to 7-2 victory over Astros

Alvarez ties career high in hits, Peña homers and Astros use 4-run 7th inning to sweep Rangers 7-3

Astros take advantage of Angels meltdown to score 4 runs in 9th inning for 6-4 win

Astros place RHP Spencer Arrighetti on IL with nerve irritation, recall LHP Bryan King from Triple-A

Walker, Smith spark the Astros' 8-run 6th inning in an 9-5 win over the White Sox

Astros' Spencer Arrighetti leaves start against White Sox in second inning with foot injury

James Wood's grand slam helps power the Nationals to a 12-11 win over the Astros

Imai strikes out 10 as Astros beat Tigers 2-1 and extend winning streak to 3 games

Michael Lorenzen throws efficiently into the 6th, Rockies beat Astros 9-1 to complete 3-game sweep

Astros lose outfielder Jake Meyers, righty Cristian Javier with injuries in short span

Mike Trout homers to kick off what he hopes will be a healthy 2026 as Angels blank Astros 3-0