HOUSTON -- Should the Astros take a pitcher who has been their most consistent reliever all season and convert him into a starter? That’s the dilemma they’re facing, with discussions to move right-hander Kai-Wei Teng to the rotation. The club is taking into account the negative impact the move could have on a bullpen that’s been among the worst in the Major Leagues this season.
Teng, acquired in a January trade from the Giants, has been excellent in his long relief role for the Astros. He entered the Astros’ 12-4 loss Friday to the Yankees with a 1.65 ERA and 0.80 WHIP, with 16 strikeouts and six walks in 16 1/3 innings. He threw a season-high 2 2/3 scoreless innings Tuesday against the Guardians and hadn't pitched again until Friday night.
“Phenomenal,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Just to bridge to the back end of our bullpen, [effective against] both righties and lefties, can create swing and miss. I really like what he’s done in that bullpen.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know injuries -- including ace Hunter Brown (shoulder strain), Cristian Javier (shoulder strain) and newcomer Tatsuya Imai (arm fatigue) -- have ravaged the Astros’ rotation. That’s taken an early toll on the rotation and the bullpen, which entered Friday with the second-worst ERA in the Major Leagues.
Teng pitched eight games last year for the Giants, starting seven, but hasn’t thrown more than 40 pitches in a game this year.
“I mean, we're always looking for ways to optimally use the pitchers we have on our staff,” Astros pitching coach Josh Miller said. “You know, he certainly put himself in that conversation. He's got really good stuff, he's got dynamic weapons from both sides, and it should be a matter of finding a spot for him and stretching him out, if we choose to do that.”
Teng throws five pitches, focusing primarily on his slider, four-seam fastball and sinker -- all of which have gained velocity this year. Both fastballs are up more than one mph from 2025 -- the four-seam is averaging 95 mph and the sinker 94.2 mph.
“He finished up a season last year in San Francisco and did some good things, and he's got good stuff, really good spin weapons, a slider and the curveball are great,” Miller said. “We'd really like the changeup as well. Both of his fastball types perform pretty well. It's more about him trusting his stuff and attacking the zone, and he's largely done that. He could probably do a little better at that around the edges and at the margins, but he's been really good so far.”
Teng was one of seven pitchers the Astros acquired in the offseason, and he’s been the best acquisition so far. Imai landed on the injured list after three starts, Mike Burrows has a 6.75 ERA in 26 2/3 innings, Ryan Weiss has a 6.50 ERA in 18 innings and Cristian Roa and Roddery Muñoz (Rule 5) were designated for assignment. Then there’s Peter Lambert, who threw six scoreless innings Wednesday in Cleveland in his second start with Houston.
“[Teng has] been a starter his whole life,” Miller said. “Him adapting to the bullpen role at the start of the season and kind of filling in the gaps -- and we've had some big gaps to fill –he's done really good at adapting and being available and wanting more, and that's been good to see.”
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Teng’s performance while closer Josh Hader and lefty Bennett Sousa have been injured, and setup man Bryan Abreu has struggled, has helped the bullpen survive. That’s what makes taking Teng out of the mix a difficult decision the club is still pondering. Sousa is scheduled to come off the injured list on Saturday.
“Without having those three big arms in the back, having a guy like Teng has been very helpful, because he can go multiple innings,” Brown said. “That’s what we’re having a conversation about now.
"Do you want those power innings at the end? Or do you need the power innings up front? And so we're still having some conversations about it, but there is a chance that we could put him in a rotation.”