The Astros bullpen and rotation depth chart just got a little less depressing. Houston announced it's reinstating right-hander Ronel Blanco and lefty Bennett Sousa off the 60-day injured list, giving Dusty Baker's successors two more real options as July turns into deadline season.
Astros Reinstate Ronel Blanco, Bennett Sousa From 60-Day IL t.co/8tPZkIDREe
Blanco's absence is the bigger story here. He underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace last June, meaning this is his first look at a big league mound in over a year. That's the kind of return teams circle on the calendar — a starter who was a legit rotation piece before the elbow gave out, now trying to prove he's still that guy in the middle of a pennant race.
Sousa's road back has been messier. He first got activated off the injured list in late April after an oblique strain, made 5 shaky relief appearances, and then landed right back on the shelf with left elbow inflammation. This 60-day reinstatement is essentially his second crack at sticking in the bullpen this season, and the Astros clearly still see enough there to give him another shot rather than just moving on.
None of this happens in a vacuum. Houston is squeezing every inning it can out of a pitching staff that's been running the gauntlet of injuries all year, and getting two bodies back for free — no trade capital spent, no prospects moved — is exactly the kind of low-cost boost a front office wants heading into the deadline. It buys flexibility. If Blanco looks anything like himself, that's a rotation arm the Astros don't have to go find via trade. If Sousa's elbow holds up this time, that's a lefty option out of the pen they were sorely missing.
The real test starts now. Both guys have to show, in live outings against big league hitters, that a year-plus of medical setbacks didn't take the stuff with it. Watch how Blanco's velocity and command look in his first start back, and watch how many appearances Sousa can string together before anyone starts worrying about that elbow again. Houston's staff has taken enough hits this year that these two reinstatements matter more than a standard roster-move blurb would suggest.