The Houston Astros are adding pitcher Ryan Gusto to the taxi squad

CLEVELAND – The Houston Astros signed minor league pitcher Ryan Gusto to their taxi squad on Saturday, making the right-hander an option to start Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Guardians.

Manager Joe Espada said Gusto could “potentially” start Sunday depending on how the Astros use their pitching in Saturday’s game. The Astros would have to take appropriate action to add Gusto to both their active and 40-man rosters. If Gusto pitches on Sunday, it would be his major league debut.

With none of their current starters likely to pitch on Sunday, the other option appears to be a bullpen game. But since there is an off day on Monday before the Wild Card Series, the Astros might prefer to rest the replacements for that series as much as possible.

Gusto made 26 starts at Triple-A Sugar Land this season, posting a 3.70 ERA over 148 1/3 innings. He praised Sugar Land staff for helping him troubleshoot some issues with his delivery earlier this year.

“I had a rough start to the season and lost a few things mechanically,” Gusto said. “So I had to get a little bit of release points back on a few break balls, a little bit in the bottom half, things like that. I got a little off track, but I had to put in the effort again and I was able to make the adjustments and feel like myself again.”

Gusto, 25, was an 11th-round pick by Houston in 2019 out of Florida Southwestern State Junior College. Gusto said Triple-A manager Mickey Storey told him he would be joining the Astros in Cleveland while Sugar Land was celebrating its Pacific Coast League championship.

“So the celebration continued after I went back to the locker room,” Gusto said.