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When the 2025 season began, few Houston Astros fans paid much attention to Ryan Gusto. His performance in 2024 was a little better than average with a 3.70 ERA in 148.1 innings. While Gusto did have some decent peripherals, his name didn't come up a lot this spring when the Astros' rotation plans were being discussed.
However, Gusto has quickly become an integral part of what Houston is doing. Splitting his time between the bullpen and the rotation, Gusto has a 2.78 ERA across 22.2 innings of work. While that's not enough playing time to draw an accurate conclusion, there's no denying Gusto is off to an impressive start.
In fact, assuming Gusto can continue to pound the strike zone, his performance could put a lot of pressure on some of the Astros' injured starters once they are ready to return from the IL.
Ryan Gusto's early season break out could force Astros' hand with Lance McCullers Jr, Luis Garcia, and others
The old adage says, "You can never have enough pitching," and that is 100% correct. There are, however, only so many innings to go around, and with the Astros competing for a playoff spot, they're going to want their best starters getting the lion's share of those innings.
Ideally, the Astros will get Lance McCullers Jr. back soon, and Luis Garcia will return at some point later this season. Houston isn't going to turn down a surplus of healthy starters. McCullers, however, has been out of action for a long time, and there's no guarantee the right-hander will be effective against big league hitters. As for Garcia, being shifted to the 60-day IL doesn't inspire much confidence that he is on the mend. It may be awhile before Astros fans see him back on the mound.
McCullers and Garcia had a clear path to playing time earlier this year, but Gusto has thrown his name firmly into the mix. Between Gusto and some promising arms in the minor leagues (AJ Blubaugh and Colton Gordon), Houston may find that their best starting five doesn't even include McCullers or Garcia going forward.