Hunter Brown's next start pushed back as Astros turn to surprising rookie promotion

For some time now, the Houston Astros have been wanting to employ a six-man rotation for at least some stretches of the season in order to give some of their arms a rest. Unfortunately, injuries have made that a bit challenging and Lance McCullers Jr. brutal second start didn't help that plan at all. However, it looks like the Astros have finally made a roster move to get some of their players a little extra rest that, if we are being honest, they should have made a while ago.

The Astros had listed their starter for Wednesday as TBD, but most expected Hunter Brown to get that start as the timing made sense given how much rest all of Houston's option have had. Instead, the Astros decided to call up Colton Gordon to start Wednesday. So far, no corresponding move has been revealed.

Astros to call up Colton Gordon, giving their rotation a much deserved extra day of rest

Long considered one of Houston's top pitching prospects, the 26 year-old lefty has been tremendous down at Triple-A this season. In his first eight starts of 2025, Gordon has posted a 2.55 ERA with 43 strikeouts against just eight walks in 42.1 innings of work. The walk numbers in particular have been a notable improvement over last season when command issues caused Gordon a number of problems.

Assuming that Gordon can provide meaningful and quality innings, the Astros could be putting themselves in a great spot to preserve their surprisingly great rotation for the long haul. Giving their power pitching ace Brown an extra day of rest could help to keep him fresh, as fans have seen him fade during the second-half before. Ronel Blanco is another pitcher who seems to thrive when well-rested, and Framber Valdez isn't going to mind some extra downtime to have a little more gas in the tank during a contract year.

Of course, this whole potential plan relies on the Astros having six able-bodied starters. Calling up Gordon is a good starting point, but now he has to perform while the rest of rotation needs to keep up what they have been doing. Spencer Arrighetti will return at some point, but Gordon has to do the job and do it well in the interim.

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