Astros give up on former top prospect

The decision to cut ties with Whitley will be fairly disappointing for the Astros, who had high hopes for the pitcher. As recently as 2019, he was regarded as a top-10 prospect in the entire sport, and one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball.

In 2018, Whitley was suspended for a drug policy violation, and he also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020. That long layoff essentially cost him multiple years of development, and he was never the same after that. He finally made his MLB debut in 2024, but gave up 10 earned runs in 10.2 innings over the last two seasons.

Whitley is still only 27 and has great velocity, but he has still struggled with minor injuries and walks. Another team will likely take a chance on him, but he is unlikely to ever be the ace the Astros once thought he would be.