The Astros optioned Mike Burrows to Triple-A Sugar Land Tuesday, a day after allowing a career high 10 runs in the 12-11 loss to the Nationals.
Alimber Santa was recalled in his place.
Here is a look at Burrows’ numbers, per ESPN:
• 4-9 record, 5.99 ERA in 94 2/3 innings
• Leads the majors in losses
• Tied for third in home runs allowed with 21
• First Astros pitcher to give up 10 runs since J.P. France in August 2023
Burrows was briefly moved to the bullpen last month. He returned to the rotation June 24 in Toronto, allowed one run in six innings, looked promising, but then gave up four runs in five innings against Minnesota June 30.
Burrows completely fell apart Monday against Washington, giving up a career high of 10 runs.
The Astros can’t afford this kind of performance on the mound. “Trying to create some swing and miss,” Manager Joe Espada said. “Something has to change with how he approaches some of these hitters,” per ESPN.
Espada made it clear this is not about giving up on Burrows, but about giving him the space to work through his struggles. Burrows has shown he is capable, he just needs to work through it and get his footing back.
To fill Burrows’ spot on the roster, the Astros recalled Alimber Santa from Triple-A Sugar Land. Santa has been impressive in his limited time with the Astros this season, posting a 0.71 ERA in 12 2/3 innings. He was also a part of the combined no-hitter on May 25 in his MLB debut, a historic day for the team and an unforgettable way to begin his major league career.
With Burrows gone, the Astros now have Brown, Lambert, Arrighetti, and Imai as their four starters. Burrows is still under team control and can return in fewer than 20 days without burning his final option year, so this is not necessarily a permanent move. The trade deadline makes all of this even more urgent. The Astros need depth and they need it soon.
