Rookie duel looms as Astros send surprise arm to face Tigers' starter Jackson Jobe

The Houston Astros are making their first major call-up of the 2025 season—aside from Cam Smith, of course — on Wednesday with the announcement that AJ Blubaugh will be taking the hill for the team's series finale against the Detroit Tigers. Fellow rookie starter Jackson Jobe will be on the bump for the Tigers as the Astros look for a three-game sweep.

Blubaugh was in the mix for one of the final spots in the Astros rotation throughout spring training, but was always ticketed to begin the season at Triple-A Sugar Land. The right-hander proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, that he was ready for the big leagues with an impressive showing during his first month in the minors.

In five starts, Blubaugh is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA covering 21 innings of work. He's walked 10 batters, but struck out 28 which equates to an impressive 30.1% strikeout rate. If Blubaugh is able to keep the base paths clear of free runners, he certainly has some staying power.

Rookie duel looms as Astros send AJ Blubaugh arm to face Tigers' starter Jackson Jobe

Blubaugh will be taking Hayden Wesneski's spot in the Astros starting rotation. The former Chicago Cubs' swingman pitched well enough during his previous outing last week against the Kansas City Royals — allowing just two runs on eight hits — but Wesneski only recorded one strikeout and was dodging trouble throughout the game.

Astros manager Joe Espada declared Wesneski healthy, but said the righty needed more rest between starts, which is why he's skipping a turn through the rotation. The Astros currently have an opening on their 40-man roster, so adding Blubaugh won't necessitate a DFA. Houston will, however, have to send someone back down to the minor leagues in order to clear a spot on the active roster.

Will this be a one-and-done for Blubaugh? Possibly. The Astros may be intent on adding Lance McCullers Jr. back to the rotation if he recovers from his scheduled bullpen session on Wednesday morning. McCullers hasn't appeared in a game since the 2022 World Series.

The Astros bats will have their hands full with Jobe on Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers' rookie owns a 2.70 ERA in four starts for Detroit this season. Jobe has an impressive fastball-slider combo and also mixes in a changeup and a sinker for good measure. Astros hitters will have to be on their game to complete the sweep this afternoon at Daikin Park.

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