Astros' 13-Game Winner Seeking 'Second Opinion' After IL News

"Ronel Blanco is going on the IL and will get a second opinion on his elbow soreness/inflammation, per Astros manager Joe Espada," Jason Bristol of KHOU 11 News Houston reported on X.

The "Our Esquina" X account also shared a video of the interaction.

According to Espada, Blanco will get the aforementioned "second opinion" next week, but updates like these typically signal that the first opinion was not favorable.

A late bloomer, Blanco has turned into a vital part of this Astros rotation in recent years.

In 2024, he won 13 games for Houston, pitching to a low season-long ERA of 2.80 over 167.1 innings pitched. That 2024 effort produced a no-hitter and a cumulative WAR of +4.4.

Blanco hasn't been quite as sharp in 2025, with a 3-4 record and a 4.10 ERA over his first 9 starts, but the Astros need reliable arms right now. At his worst, Blanco has typically provided that since the 2023 campaign.

At age 32 in August, major surgery would be devastating for a feel-good story like Blanco.

Houston signed the international free agent all the way back in 2016, at age 22. It took him six years to work his way up the ladder of the Astros' minor league system.

Now, Blanco is a fixture of this Houston rotation, and the Astros will hope it stays that way after the second opinion.