Houston Astros Roster
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez dominated in Wednesday's victory over the division-rival Oakland Athletics, tossing seven two-hit innings of scoreless ball on two walks with eight punchouts. Staked to an early-two run lead, Valdez cruised past Oakland on Wednesday for his second straight quality start and third win of the campaign. The 30-year-old fantasy mainstay now sports a rock-solid 2.95 ERA and 1.20 WHIP while fanning 31 and walking 11 over six starts (36 2/3 innings) for Houston this year. Valdez is slated to get the ball next during Monday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. In three appearances versus the Angels since 2023, Valdez is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA and a sublime 32:3 K:BB across 21 1/3 frames and will be locked-in fantasy starter.
Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco will not appeal his automatic 10-day suspension, according to general manager Dana Brown. Blanco will begin serving his suspension on Wednesday and will miss his next scheduled start after his glove was confiscated during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics when umpires found a foreign substance on his leather. The 30-year-old was ejected after three shutout innings against the A's and now won't be eligible to pitch again until May 26. An already beat-up Astros pitching staff will now be even more thinned out over the next 10 days, although right-hander Jose Urquidy (forearm) is nearing his return. Blanco has been a revelation this year for Houston and fantasy managers, already throwing a no-hitter while sporting a 2.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts.
Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco plans to appeal his automatic 10-game suspension after he was ejected during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics in the fourth inning after umpires determined his glove had a foreign substance on it. Manager Joe Espada said that Blanco had a mixture of rosin and sweat on his glove hand, which is illegal under league rules. Depending on when his appeal is heard, Blanco may be able to make his next scheduled start. Before being ejected on Tuesday against the A's, the 30-year-old Dominican hurler had tossed another three shutout innings and is now 4-0 on the season with a sparkling 2.09 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts. He's been a must-start in all fantasy leagues but will likely be forced to miss a start soon.
Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman continued to heat up offensively in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-innings win over the Athletics. Bregman went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, and a strikeout. The 30-year-old is slashing just .225/.293/.358 in 167 plate appearances but has now hit three HR in his last two games and has been hitting much better lately. Bregman is a proven fantasy option and fantasy managers should give him time to figure things out, which he already may be doing.
Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco was ejected from his start against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday before the start of the fourth inning after umpires checked his glove for foreign substances. As a result, the 30-year-old will be suspended by Major League Baseball for 10 games if it's confirmed that he used an illegal substance on his glove. Before being ejected, Blanco had thrown three scoreless innings while walking one and striking out four to lower his season ERA to 2.09. It's more bad news for an Astros' starting rotation that has really been thinned this year by injuries. Blanco came into Tuesday's solid matchup against Oakland with a 2.23 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 20 walks and 41 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. Even though he's set to miss his next start while on suspension, fantasy baseball managers are going to want to keep Blanco on their rosters.