Ronel Blanco DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco (upper body) was pulled out early during Wednesday's spring training contest. Blanco was hit by a line drive in the upper body during his final inning of work. He didn't appear to be in much discomfort, but there was action in the bullpen after the incident. The Astros are likely just being cautious here with it still being spring training. Possibly a minor injury, but the Astros are likely to address Blanco's departure after the contest. For now, fantasy managers don't need to worry as it sounds like Blanco has avoided any kind of serious injury.UPDATE: Blanco gave a thumbs-up to Francisco Lindor, who hit the liner, and to catcher Yainer Diaz afterward.

Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco won his 12th game of the season Saturday over the Los Angeles Angels 10-4. Blanco went six strong innings, surrendering two runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts. The veteran is 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 163 strikeouts in 162 innings. Blanco has three wins in his last seven starts, with a 2.36 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts in 34 innings. He will look to continue his strong season with a start against the Cleveland Guardians this coming week.

The Houston Astros are skipping right-hander Ronel Blanco's spot in the starting rotation this weekend against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks with the intent of returning to a six-man rotation during a stretch of 16 games without an off day. Blanco has been Houston's most consistent starter this year in a season in which their rotation has been decimated by injuries, but he threw a career-high 52 innings during the regular season in 2023 and is already at 148 1/3 frames this year over his 26 starts. Eventually, it's expected that Blanco will shift to Houston's bullpen, either at the tail end of the regular season or for the start of the postseason. The 31-year-old has been great in 2024, though, throwing a no-hitter early in the year while going 10-6 with a 3.03 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings in his first full year in the team's rotation.