Ryan Weiss’ major-league debut Friday came nearly eight years after he was drafted and after a journey through various organizations and going overseas to pitch.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Weiss (51) is seen after giving up a solo home run to Los Angeles Angels Zach Neto during the ninth inning of a MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Weiss (51) delivers during the ninth inning of a MLB baseball game at Daikin Park, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Nearly eight years after he was drafted, and following forays into independent ball and the Far East after his initial baseball ascent fizzled, Ryan Weiss jogged in from the bullpen at Daikin Park in the ninth inning Friday night to make his major-league debut.
“Honestly, it was cool,” Weiss said, “but it was also kind of nice to get it over with.”
For a time, earlier, it had felt near. A fourth-round draft pick by the Diamondbacks, Weiss reached Triple-A during the 2021 season. Arizona added him to its 40-man roster that winter. He spent much of 2022 a step below the majors and a goal that still required time to materialize.
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The Diamondbacks designated Weiss for assignment that June. The Royals claimed him. At both of their Triple-A affiliates, Weiss’ ERA hovered above seven. Kansas City cut him loose the next May. He went on to pitch for the High Point Rockers, the Fubon Guardians, the Hanwha Eagles.
At the latter stop in South Korea, Weiss resurrected his career. The Houston Astros took note and signed the 6-foot-4 right-hander in free agency this winter. He returned to affiliated ball with a new perspective whetted across his winding path.
“I kind of idolized being a big leaguer a lot,” Weiss said, “and so when I stopped idolizing that as much, it kind of took some weight off my shoulders and I was able to be myself and play baseball and have fun.”
Weiss became one of the top starting pitchers in the KBO last year and signed with Houston to compete for a spot in its rotation. Its subsequent additions of Mike Burrows and Tatsuya Imai crowded that group and clouded the possibility this spring, even as Weiss did not conceal his preference to start.
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The season began Thursday with Weiss one of several long-relief options in the Astros’ bullpen. Houston seeks backing for its five-man rotation in the early weeks and believes Weiss’ mid-90s fastball and slider can play up in a relief role, while he holds one.
“He wanted to be a starter and … the plan was to give him an opportunity to be a starter,” manager Joe Espada said. “But in the situation that we are in, we felt it’s better for the team and for him right now to work out of the bullpen.”
Coverage in case of short starts and balancing workload on the back end of the bullpen led the Astros to carry several swingmen to open the season. Opening-day starter Hunter Brown exited in the fifth inning Thursday after 102 pitches. AJ Blubaugh relieved him and covered 2 ⅓ innings against the Angels.
Friday, the Astros trailed by three runs in the bottom of the eighth. Both Weiss and Bryan Abreu warmed as they brought the potential tying run up to home plate. Yainer Diaz struck out to end the inning. Weiss emerged from the bullpen for his first official relief appearance since 2023 at Triple-A Omaha.
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“I was just trying to stay in the moment, trying to soak it up, and honestly just be present and focus on what I needed to do in order to do what’s gotten me here,” Weiss said.
His debut started shakily. A first-pitch slider bounced. Zach Neto lined Weiss’ next offering, an elevated fastball, into the first row of the Crawford Boxes. Mike Trout worked an eight-pitch walk. Weiss reached 97.3 mph on two fastballs to Trout. Nolan Schanuel lined another for a single.
Weiss stemmed the inning there. Jorge Soler chased two sliders in a strikeout. Yoán Moncada lofted a fastball for a fly out. Weiss forged a 1-2 count to Jo Adell with fastballs and spun a low slider that Adell swung over for the final out. Weiss walked off the mound, his debut made.
“I feel like a couple years ago I was really close, and it was something I really wanted, but kind of as I matured a little bit and I went overseas it started not to mean as much to me,” Weiss said afterward.
“But definitely, when I gave up the homer there was a part of me that just kind of had to laugh. Because it was like, you only get one first batter. And that’s definitely something I’ll remember. I wish I didn’t give up a homer but it’s part of the game.
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“It was just getting the first one out of the way, get the first batter out of the way, and then just be able to start executing like I did. Now, I’ve just got to do that from the first batter on.”
Debuting a few years ago might have been a different experience, Weiss said, but doing so Friday night left him “grateful.” Afterward, Weiss watched the postgame fireworks show with the group of about 13 supporters on hand to witness. He ducked into the clubhouse for an interview, then rejoined his group on the field, still in full uniform.
“Aside from that home run, he came back and he was aggressive, he got some swing-and-misses,” Espada said. “And I congratulated him … I wanted him to enjoy that moment, regardless of if he wasn’t happy about the outcome of the game. That moment, he should enjoy it and embrace it. Because he’s one of the few.”