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Getting To Know the Houston Astros’ Newest Starting Pitcher

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI | By Ben Fisher | Last updated Jan 31, 2026 1:00 PM ET

It was a busy Thursday for Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown. First, he designated injury-prone right-hander J.P. France for assignment. Then, he traded catching prospect Jancel Villarroel to the San Francisco Giants to further bolster what is now a crowded group of candidates for the starting rotation.

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Brown and the Astros landed Taiwanese right-hander Kai-Wei Teng, who went 2-4 with a 6.37 ERA in seven starts and eight appearances with the Giants last season. He joins the likes of Tatsuya Imai, Nate Peason and Ryan Weiss as new faces amidst a large group of aspiring starters in Houston.

At first glance, Teng's numbers don't exactly jump off the page. However, Brown saw enough potential in the 27-year-old to make what looks to be a sensible, low-risk, high-reward gamble on a possible breakout candidate.

Getting To Know Kai-Wei Teng

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If you look beyond his inflated 6.37 ERA, Teng offers the profile of an inexperienced, erratic pitcher with plenty of weapons who has yet to put it all together. In 2025, he showcased some of that potential by striking out 39 hitters in just 29.2 innings after joining the big club in August. To put that in perspective, his 11.8 strikeout rate per nine innings would have led the majors had he pitched enough innings.

Furthermore, Teng also whiffed 89 batters across just 57 innings at the Triple-A level last season.

But with an arsenal of swing-and-miss stuff came command issues. Teng walked 17 batters and hit another seven over those 29.2 innings. Of course, struggles with control is an all-too-common symptom of a pitcher shaking off some early career nerves and adjusting to life in the big leagues.

Teng may still be harnessing his stuff, but there is plenty there to harness. He boasts a mix of six pitches that can keep opposing hitters off-balance and guessing. Houston pitching coach Josh Miller, who will have lots of work to do with a number of new faces in the fold, may opt to work with Teng on focusing on the development of a few of his strongest pitches.

Make no mistake, though - the pressure will be on Teng to perform immediately once pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training on February 10. He will be in tough competition to find a rotation spot behind ace Hunter Brown, with not only the likes of newcomers Imai, Pearson and Weiss vying for one of the five available slots, but also holdovers Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, Jason Alexander and Mike Burrows.

More likely, Teng will begin the season coming out of the bullpen in a long relief role. It's likely that Brown and the Astros also appreciated his versatility, having amassed some bullpen experience during his time in San Francisco.

It won't be easy for Teng to stand out amongst the litany of arms seeking to help fill the void of the likely outgoing Framber Valdez. However, what Houston offers is an opportunity. It's up to Teng to make the most of it.