AJ Blubaugh just forced his way into Astros’ October plans (but not how you'd expect)

AJ Blubaugh got his first Major League win earlier this week when he logged five innings in the Houston Astros' win over the Marlins. The rookie hurler allowed two runs on just three hits while striking out five batters and walking only one.

That was a far cry from Blubaugh's first taste of the big leagues back in late-April. The right-hander struggled in first Major League start, going just four innings against the Tigers while allowing seven runs on five hits. To be fair, five of those runs were unearned.

The Astros, however, quickly optioned Blubaugh back to the minor leagues following that April 30 start, and did the same on Wednesday in order to activate Spencer Arrighetti from the injured list. But Blubaugh may yet make another appearance this season, though it probably won't be in the capacity you'll be expecting.

AJ Blubaugh just forced his way into Astros’ October plans

Blubaugh is back at Triple-A Sugar Land, and Astros fans should expect to see the 25-year-old continue to work out of the Space Cowboys' starting rotation. If he's recalled back the majors, however, it's a good bet that Blubaugh will be working out of the Astros bullpen.

Of Blubaugh's 20 minor league appearances this season, 18 have come as a starter. Nevertheless, with a large number of injured Astros starters slated to return from the IL in the coming weeks, Blubaugh's best opportunity to log meaningful innings will be as a swingman out of Houston's bullpen.

While some may say that's the role he filled this past week, that's not exactly accurate. Though Blubaugh came on in relief during the game against Miami, Houston was using an opener. Blubaugh came on in the third inning as a bulk reliever. Moving forward, it's more likely that he'd work two or three innings in relief, but not five or more.

With Blubaugh's 98-plus mph heater, he could turn into a weapon coming out of the Astros bullpen. Though he's unlikely to supplant any of Houston's key relievers, don't be shocked to see Blubaugh find himself stepping onto the bump when some relatively high stakes later this season.

Having that type of arm come September (and hopefully October) could greatly help Houston navigate what's bound to be a tricky situation with some of their returning starters. Seeing as how so many were sidelined for months, it's doubtful that pitchers like Christian Javier and Luis Garcia will be able to four or more innings. Having a pitcher like Blubaugh to bridge that gap could be invaluable over the next couple of months.

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