Ronel Blanco DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Houston Astros announced on Wednesday that right-hander Ronel Blanco (elbow) will have season-ending right-elbow surgery next week. Blanco is expected to return during the 2026 season. Specifically, Blanco will have Tommy John surgery, which means he'll miss the rest of this year and most likely at least half of 2026. It's a tough blow to an Astros starting rotation that also currently has Luis Garcia (elbow) and Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) on the injured list. Now that the 31-year-old Blanco is officially done for the year, fantasy managers in single-year formats can safely drop him and look for a replacement pitcher. Left-handed rookie Colton Gordon should continue to stick in Houston's starting rotation for the foreseeable future. Before getting hurt, Blanco went 3-4 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 48 strikeouts and 20 walks in 48 1/3 innings over his nine starts in 2025.

Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco (elbow) is heading to the 15-day injured list and will seek a second opinion on his injured right elbow, according to manager Joe Espada. Blanco's first opinion/test showed "inflammation" in his elbow. How long Blanco will be on the shelf will be determined by whether the team finds any other issues in his arm besides inflammation. Either way, the 31-year-old Dominican pitcher isn't going to be back until at least June. Blanco has been consistent this year for Houston and his fantasy managers, allowing more than three earned runs in just one of his nine starts while striking out 48 batters in 48 1/3 innings pitched. He has picked up quality starts in four of his last five starts before coming down with some elbow problems. Until we find out more about Blanco's timetable for a return, fantasy managers should keep him stashed in an IL spot.

Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports that Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco (elbow) will be evaluated by doctors on Wednesday for elbow soreness. The 31-year-old experienced the discomfort two days ago and flew back to Houston for the evaluation. It's unfortunate news for him and the Astros, as he'd come around over his last few starts -- pitching to a 2.70 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 20 May innings (22:6 K:BB). Blanco has been solid overall in 2025, but should be performing even better -- boasting the best quality of contact metrics of his career, with a 2.94 xERA and a .204 xBA against. We'll know more about the next steps after his evaluation, so hopefully the issue isn't too serious.