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When the Houston Astros traded for Yusei Kikuchi, the move came with some understandable criticism. The Astros were sending over in the trade two promising young bats in Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner as well as arguably their best pitching prospect in Jake Bloss for half a season of Kikuchi. Kikuchi was good which helped the Astros' side, but it was still a hefty price. However, a recent bit of injury news is making Houston looking a bit smarter these days.
Bloss looked like he could be on his way to being a very reliable starter in the big leagues before he was traded to the Blue Jays. However, he struggled after the trade last season in Toronto's minor league system and this week, Bloss' pitching arm was giving him trouble that required some imaging which is almost never good news. That proved correct as Bloss needs elbow surgery and his season is likely to be over.
After leaving his last AAA start, #BlueJays pitching prospect Jake Bloss will undergo UCL surgery on his right elbow with Dr Meister. Exact procedure tbd.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) May 13, 2025
Tough blow for a guy that was on the brink of an MLB return. A hit to Toronto’s rotation depth, too.
Former Astros prospect Jake Bloss to have elbow surgery
This obviously stinks for Bloss as he seems like a great guy and fans should want players to avoid major injuries and succeed (within reason) even after they leave. He didn't ask to get traded one hopes that he bounces back from this setback.
Unfortunately, the options for UCL surgery are not ideal. Even if an internal brace procedure is on the table for Bloss, that still means he definitely won't pitch again in 2025 and the start of 2026 is anything but certain. If he needs Tommy John surgery or there is additional clean-up in his elbow required, the second half of 2026 may be his return timeline at best.
As for the Astros, their move to trade for Kikuchi seems to be aging pretty well. Yes, the team unfortunately lost Kikuchi to the Angels this offseason, but all three of the prospects they sent to Toronto in the deal have underperformed and/or gotten hurt since the trade. It was still a hefty price to pay, but perhaps Dana Brown knew a little bit more than we thought.