The Houston Astros announced on Friday that they placed left-hander Brandon Walter (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 24) with left-elbow inflammation and recalled right-hander Nick Hernandez from the minors in a corresponding move. The Astros' starting rotation has been decimated by injuries this year, as Walter will join Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, J.P. France and Lance McCullers Jr. as starters who are currently on the IL. The 28-year-old Walter has held his own in just his second year in the big leagues with Houston, going 1-3 with a 3.35 ERA (3.97 FIP) and 0.93 WHIP with 52 strikeouts and only four walks in 53 2/3 innings over his nine starts. It's unclear who will take the southpaw's spot in Houston's rotation, and despite how well he's pitched, he won't be guaranteed a starting spot when he comes back from his injury.

Houston Astros left-hander Brandon Walter will start on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in their series finale as they look to sweep the Diamondbacks. Walter has been solid for the Astros in 2025 with a 3.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 9.06 K/9 in 42 2/3 innings pitched. What is even more impressive is that his underlying metrics showcase room for positive regression, with a 2.95 ERA and a 2.87 xFIP. In his last outing on Friday, July 18, against the Seattle Mariners, he threw six innings, allowed three hits, one earned run, one walk, and struck out seven. Walter will be one of the more popular streaming options on Wednesday. Although the Diamondbacks' offense has been outstanding in 2025, ranking fifth in MLB in runs scored, they have performed slightly worse against left-handed pitchers. That being said, Walter remains a good streaming option in 12-plus team leagues.

Houston Astros left-hander Brandon Walter turned in an impressive start in his team's 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings on Sunday. Walter allowed one run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings of work while striking out nine and walking none but he had to settle for a no-decision in the extra-inning game. The southpaw recorded an excellent 17 swinging strikes in the start. Walter now has a 1.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts over 17 2/3 innings of work spanning three starts and is a priority waiver add in all leagues this week.

The Houston Astros have promoted left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Walter ahead of his start on Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians. In a corresponding move, the Astros designated right-handed pitcher Forrest Whitley for assignment. Walter has made a start in Houston this season and tossed five shutout frames with five punchouts and three hits against the Tampa Bay Rays. Last season, Walter made his MLB debut and logged 23 innings to the tune of a 6.26 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. Over his last five outings at Triple-A Sugar Land, the southpaw has found success, holding a 1.88 ERA with a strong 0.88 WHIP. During this stretch, Walter has tallied 28 punchouts and allowed just one free pass. This afternoon, he is worth a look in deeper formats as a streaming option, given his earlier success in the majors and strong production at Triple-A.

The Houston Astros added left-hander Brandon Walter to their taxi squad, and The Athletic's Chandler Rome suggests he could make the start on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that hasn't been good against lefties in 2025. Houston currently has not listed a starter for Tuesday's game. Walter has looked good at Triple-A Sugar Land this year, going 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA and 0.70 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and seven walks in 35 2/3 innings over nine appearances (five starts). The 28-year-old southpaw had a cup of coffee with the Boston Red Sox in 2024 in his big-league debut and allowed 17 runs (16 earned) while walking seven and striking out 16 in 23 relief innings. This would be Walter's first-ever MLB start if he gets the nod on Tuesday, and while the matchup is a good one, Walker would be a shaky deep-league streaming option in fantasy.

Houston Astros left-handed pitcher Brandon Walter has enjoyed an impressive start to the Triple-A regular season and was named Pacific League Pitcher of the Week. Over his last two outings this past week, Walter has logged 10 shutout innings (two starts) and allowed just four hits and no walks. During this stretch, he has struck out nine batters. Before this impressive week, Walter held a 3.95 ERA with an impressive 0.80 WHIP across his first 13 2/3 innings of the campaign. Walter was unable to pitch at all during the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury, but appears to have already found his footing early in the 2025 season. He made his MLB debut in 2023 with the Red Sox but held a modest 6.26 ERA across his first 23 major league frames. If he continues to perform well at Triple-A, he could push for a return to the big leagues.