HOUSTON — The Houston Astros designated right-hander Forrest Whitley for assignment on Sunday, putting their tumultuous, nine-year partnership with the pitcher in peril.
Once touted as the top starting pitching prospect in baseball, Whitley had withered into a mop-up reliever incapable of procuring outs during lopsided games. He had a 12.27 ERA and six walks across 7 ⅓ major-league innings this season.
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Each of the last three games Whitley entered featured at least a 10-run separation between the two teams. Whitley still surrendered seven earned runs across the 4 ⅔ innings he threw.
Houston now has seven days to either trade Whitley or pass him through outright waivers, where all 29 teams will have a chance to claim him. Whitley is still just 27 years old and still wields tantalizing stuff, but his lack of minor-league options may give teams pause when deciding whether to pursue him.
Because Whitley has fewer than three years of major-league service time, he would not be able to elect free agency if he clears waivers. If Whitley does clear waivers, Houston would then outright him off the 40-man roster and to Triple-A Sugar Land.
The Astros selected Whitley with the No. 17 pick in the 2016 draft and paid him a $3.148 million signing bonus. Before the 2019 season, Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline all labeled Whitley as the sport’s best pitching prospect.
A freefall ensued, first due to a 50-game drug suspension Whitley incurred before the 2018 season. A slew of injuries followed, including Tommy John surgery in 2020, a lat strain in 2023, and this season, left knee problems that caused two trips to the injured list.
“I told (manager Joe Espada) this, I told the pitching coaches this: I honestly feel embarrassed every time I have to go on the IL or something pops up,” Whitley told The Athletic last month. “I don’t want it to be a reflection of my work ethic. I feel I do everything I can to stay on the field, and it just hasn’t worked out lately.
“I feel like I have a certain level of responsibility to give back to the people that have supported me that I don’t.”
Whitley has thrown just 174 ⅔ innings since 2019. Lesser-touted prospects passed him within Houston’s organizational hierarchy, and his hold on a 40-man roster spot became more tenuous with each lost season. He entered spring training in February cognizant of his situation, calling this season his “last chance.”
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“Every day I throw the baseball, it reminds me of why I keep doing this stuff,” Whitley said last month. “I know when I go out there, I’m going to be competitive. I know exactly what to do. I have the stuff to get the best big leaguers out. I just have to go out there and do it and make sure I’m out there every time.”
(Photo: Logan Riely / Getty Images)
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