Astros have a real chance to make up some of the lost value from the Kyle Tucker trade

The Kyle Tucker trade had the chance to be a game-changing move for the Houston Astros. Getting back a controllable position player in Isaac Paredes, a then-top-prospect in Cam Smith, and an intriguing controllable arm in Hayden Wesneski should have been huge wins. But for all the promise, it's been kind of a disappointment.

Paredes has been a solid player, but the gem of the deal was supposed to be Smith. Now more than halfway through his second big league season, the 23-year-old has struggled to translate his loud tools into actual production. Combine that with receiving just six starts of 4.50 ERA ball from Wesneski before he suffered a torn UCL, and it looks like Houston got a lot less than it could have.

That could all change, though. Wesneski is set to be activated tonight and start the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, and it couldn't come at a better time. It's been 15 long months for the 28-year-old, who got hurt trying to establish himself as a bona fide starting pitcher in the majors after many stops and starts.

"I’m going to be nervous,” Wesneski told reporters yesterday. “I’m excited about it. I don’t know how to act tomorrow, to be honest with you. The first time I threw off the mound in the FCL [Florida Complex League], it was big time. Tomorrow, I can’t tell you how I’ll act, but I’ll figure it out.”

The Houston native made five rehab starts to ramp up, tossing 20 total innings with 21 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA. His fastball was touching 96 miles per hour, up from the 94.4 miles per hour he averages for his career.

Hayden Wesneski's return to action could answer a huge Astros' trade deadline need

Wesneski is the second injured Astros starter to return from Tommy John surgery this season. Earlier this month, Ronel Blanco returned to the fold, but after giving up nine earned runs in 10 innings across two starts, red flags were raised about what sort of impact he can have moving forward.

The Astros' rotation ranks 29th with a 5.17 ERA this season and has been a major sore spot. The club's most consistent starter has been Peter Lambert, a minor league free agent who didn't even make the team out of spring training.

Dana Brown will need to find a way to fix this major weakness as Houston looks to compete down the stretch, so while Wesneski might not be able to solve all of the issues on his own, he can definitely make Brown's job a lot easier, allowing the embattled executive to also focus on other needs like a left-handed hitting outfielder.

As Tucker has really struggled with the Dodgers, just recently breaking a homerless drought that lasted over a month, after giving the Cubs an uneven and injury-plagued performance last year, it's still fair to say that the Astros won the trade. Barely.

But if Wesneski can boost the rotation down the stretch and prove to be a building block for future seasons, we'll have to reconsider this and put it firmly in the win column for Houston, regardless if Smith ever figures out how to turn his raw athleticism into actual baseball production.

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