The 32-year-old right-hander has struggled to return to form since making his 2026 debut for the Astros in late July after completing his recovery from his June 2025 Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. After posting a 6.98 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through his first four starts with Houston, Blanco was shifted to a relief role and was promptly roughed up for five earned runs on seven hits and one walk in four innings in his first appearance out of the bullpen in Saturday's 10-5 loss to the Mariners. The Astros recalled right-hander Miguel Ullola from Triple-A to take Blanco's spot in the bullpen.

Blanco has struggled to the tune of a 6.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 19.1 innings while starting in his first four appearances since coming off the 60-day injured list July 20. The Astros will have reliever Bryan King open Wednesday's game and presumably cover an inning or two, but it's unclear if Espada intends to use Blanco or Tatsuya Imai in bulk relief, or if both pitchers will be called upon to eat innings. If Blanco ends up going unused Wednesday, he could step back into the rotation at some point during this weekend's series versus the Mariners.