BASEBALL/Teng Kai-wei to shoulder more amid Houston Astros' pitching shortage

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Houston Astros pitcher Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威), the only active Taiwanese player in Major League Baseball (MLB), is expected to take on a larger role as the team struggles with an injury-plagued pitching staff, its general manager said.

During a radio show before Sunday's away game against the Seattle Mariners, Dana Brown, who took over as Astros general manager in 2023, said the team plans to have bullpen pitchers shoulder more responsibility, naming Teng among others.

"We feel like we have some depth now that's currently in our bullpen. We're going to have to potentially stretch out (Ryan) Weiss and potentially stretch out Teng (Kai-wei)," Brown said, noting that is why the organization signed "a lot of pitchers this offseason."

Teng, who was traded to the Astros from the San Francisco Giants in January, has come out of the bullpen in all six of his appearances this season.

Over 8 1/3 innings pitched, the 27-year-old Taiwanese pitcher has struck out nine and allowed two earned runs on two home runs while walking two, showing significant improvement in his control.

He holds the second-best earned run average (ERA) in the Astros bullpen at 2.13, trailing only Bryan King's 1.35.

Brown's remarks came before the ninth game of the team's 10-game road trip, which ended in a 6-1 defeat, the team's seventh straight loss. The team fell to 6-10, last in the American League West, one game behind the 7-9 Mariners.

For Houston, what may have been more concerning than the result was starter Cody Bolton's early exit due to mid back tightness. The right-hander was removed in the second inning after walking three consecutive batters without recording an out.

Bolton had served exclusively as a reliever since his MLB debut in 2023 before making his first major league start on April 6 against the Colorado Rockies. He was later listed as day-to-day.

The Astros have placed three starting pitchers on the injured list since the road trip began on April 4, including Hunter Brown. The Houston ace was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right shoulder strain and will not be able to throw for several weeks.

That list could grow longer with the addition of Tatsuya Imai, who is day-to-day pending further evaluation, as well as Brandon Walter and Hayden Wesneski, both of whom were placed on the 60-day injured list in late March.

However, the situation offers Teng an opportunity to prove himself capable of handling longer outings. In 2025, Teng started seven of his eight games with the Giants after serving as a long reliever during a four-game stint in the majors in 2024.

In a mid-March spring training game, Teng made one start, throwing three innings while allowing one run and striking out two on 49 pitches.