Gusto allowed two walks and struck out a batter while working a scoreless inning of relief in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Rangers.
Gusto was a candidate to start Sunday's series finale, but his recent struggles -- he's allowed 10 runs (seven earned) across his last four innings -- may have temporarily cost him a rotation spot. Framber Valdez is likely to start Sunday's game, though that has not yet been confirmed. If the Astros elect to maintain a six-man rotation heading into their upcoming seven-game week, Gusto could still be in line for a start once he has a few days to recover from Saturday's 30-pitch appearance.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Clobbered in loss
Rotowire
Gusto (3-2) took the loss Monday against Kansas City, allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks over 2.1 innings. He struck out one.
The Houston right-hander looked rusty in this 68-pitch outing, as he hadn't pitched since May 4 and was filling in for Hayden Wesneski (elbow). The floodgates opened in the second when Michael Massey opened the frame with a solo homer, fueling a four-run, five-hit inning. Gusto fully unraveled in the third, as he allowed another run and departed after loading the bases. Reliever Tayler Scott would allow two additional runs to score. Despite this rough performance, Gusto should continue to occupy Wesneski's rotation spot while the latter is on the injured list. Gusto is currently in line to make his next start at Texas this weekend.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Rejoining rotation Monday
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Gusto will start Monday's game against the Royals in Houston, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Gusto made his latest appearance in relief May 4 against the White Sox, giving up three unearned runs while recording two outs. Prior to that outing, Gusto had made four consecutive starts and was generally impressive, going 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB in 19 innings. The Astros will reopen a starting role for Gusto as a result of Hayden Wesneski (elbow) landing on the injured list Friday.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Shifts to bullpen Sunday
Rotowire
Gusto recorded two outs and allowed three unearned runs on two hits and two walks in his relief appearance Sunday in the Astros' 5-4 loss to the White Sox in seven innings.
With the Astros bringing back Lance McCullers (forearm) from the injured list to start Sunday, Gusto shifted to the bullpen after starting in each of his last four appearances. Prior to the game, manager Joe Espada suggested that Gusto's move to a relief role would likely be temporary, as the Astros plan to deploy a six-man rotation once they begin a stretch of 17 games in a row beginning next Friday, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Gusto could be available out of the bullpen for a few more games, but he'll likely be back in the rotation by the middle of the month after submitting a 3.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 20:4 K:BB in 19 innings over his first four starts.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Fans six in no-decision
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Gusto didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Tigers after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out six.
Gusto tied a season high with six punchouts, and he was also able to generate 12 whiffs Tuesday. However, his two walks represented a season worst, and he couldn't get through the fifth inning despite throwing a season-high 90 pitches. Over 27 innings in 2025, the rookie right-hander has still been a pleasant surprise for the Astros with a 3.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 29:6 K:BB so far. With Lance McCullers (forearm) on the verge of being activated from the injured list, Gusto is still in danger of losing his rotation spot.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Drops first start
Rotowire
Gusto (1-1) took the loss Saturday against the Angels, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk over four innings. He struck out six.
The Angels got to Gusto early, opening the first inning with three straight hits to plate two runs. The 26-year-old Gusto would manage to stop the bleeding until Nolan Schanuel's solo home run in the fourth. Overall, it was an up-and-down effort for Gusto in his first big-league start -- he had allowed just one run in eight innings out of the bullpen while striking out nine prior to Saturday. Gusto figures to remain in the Astros' rotation due to Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) expected to miss the next six weeks. Gusto is tentatively in line for a tough home matchup with the Padres in his next outing.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: First MLB start coming Saturday
Rotowire
Gusto is slated to start Saturday's game against the Angels in Houston, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The 26-year-old right-hander will be making his first MLB start this weekend, filling the rotation spot that belonged to Spencer Arrighetti (thumb), who was placed on the injured list Tuesday. Gusto turned in a 3.70 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over 148.1 innings in 2024 as a full-time starter at Triple-A Sugar Land, and he's been magnificent so far this season after winning a spot in Houston's Opening Day bullpen coming out of spring training. After working a scoreless frame in relief en route to scooping up his first career win in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Mariners, Gusto now owns a 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB across eight innings with the Astros. Gusto didn't throw more than 50 pitches in any of his four relief appearances this season nor in his four appearances in the Grapefruit League, so he could be slightly limited from a workload standpoint in his start Saturday.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros recalled Gusto from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Gusto had been optioned earlier this month but has ultimately been included as part of the Opening Day bullpen. He's been a starter for most of his minor-league career and should serve as a multi-inning relief option.
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Astros' Ryan Gusto: Opening season in bullpen
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The Astros announced Monday that Gusto has won a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Houston previously optioned Gusto to Triple-A Sugar Land earlier this month, but he'll be recalled prior to Thursday's opener versus the Mets and will be available in relief. He gave up one run on one hit while striking out one over one inning during Monday's exhibition against Sugar Land, and it was enough to lock up his spot on the big-league roster. He'll be in line for his first major-league action, likely slotting in as a long reliever. Gusto primarily operated out of the rotation for Sugar Land last season, starting in 26 of his 29 appearances while logging a 3.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 141:53 K:BB across 148.1 innings.
