Yusei

Kikuchi

The deal, which was agreed to earlier this week, is now official. Kikuchi appeared to unlock something last season after being shipped to the Astros at the trade deadline as Houston’s pitching apparatus immediately got him to cut back on his curveball, and lean much more heavily on his slider, which led to a stellar 2.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 76/14 K/BB ratio across 63 innings (10 starts). The lackluster supporting cast in Los Angeles limits his win potential and makes the move a slight downgrade overall for fantasy purposes relative to other potential destinations. However, the 33-year-old southpaw still represents a borderline top-50 range fantasy starter heading into 2025 drafts.

Kikuchi has flashed considerable upside at times since coming over from Japan but has struggled with consistency which has led to slightly above-average results. However, he is coming off his best stretch of MLB action ever after posting a 2.70 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 76 strikeouts in 63 innings after being traded to the Astros at the 2024 trade deadline. Much of that success coincided with him leaning on his slider more often, which is nice to see, and Kikuchi does have a good fastball, which is part of the reason he’s fifth in baseball in K-BB rate over the last two years. The Angels will just hope that he can maintain something close to the level he showed last year, but the team context makes this a slight downgrade for Kikuchi’s fantasy value.

Kikuchi told reporters that he was told that he could be used in Game 2 if the team needs him, and with Houston losing Game 1, they can’t really afford to hold anything back. The left-hander was excellent after being traded from Toronto, and one way or another he’ll be tasked with keeping Houston’s hopes alive.

What a way to end a winning streak. Kikuchi had a 5-0 record for the Astros, with Houston winning all nine of his starts since picking him up from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline. The loss dropped him back to 9-10 with a 4.05 ERA overall for the season. Still, he got to 200 strikeouts for the first time, finishing at 206, and now he’s almost certainly going to get to start a postseason game for the first time (he pitched once in relief for the Jays in the Wild Card loss last year).

There were many who criticized the Kikuchi trade, but so far, the Astros have to be thrilled with the results. The southpaw has allowed only more than two runs in just one of his starts, and while he doesn’t get the win, he once again kept the Astros in the game and helped fantasy managers in the process. He will be back on the mound Wednesday against the Mariners in what could be a clinching situation for Houston.

Kikuchi gave up three hits, walked two and struck out six. The win was his ninth of the season. Since the Astros acquired Kikuchi prior to the trade deadline, he’s 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 48 innings. That’ll play. Kikuchi has a 4.29 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 189 strikeouts in 163 2/3 innings on the year. The 33-year-old left-hander is set to face the Padres on the road next week.

Saturday marked the first time Kikuchi allowed more than three runs in a start as an Astro, giving up four against the D-Backs. Still, he fell in line for the win after six frames. He allowed two runs in the second inning on three hits and a sacrifice fly. Kevin Newman and Eugenio Suárez would later take him deep for solo homers. The 33-year-old left-hander will take a 4.31 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 183/40 K/BB ratio across 156 2/3 innings into a start against the Angels in Anaheim on Friday.

Kikuchi out-pitched Cole Ragans while inducing 20 whiffs on 52 swings for a 38 percent whiff rate and 43 percent CSW on the day. It’s the veteran’s sixth straight strong start since joining the Astros, where he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of those six outings. He has a 4.24 ERA on the season but has a sub-2.70 mark since coming to Houston. He’ll try to keep that going in a tough start against the Diamondbacks next week.

The left-hander also issued three free passes while striking out four batters on the evening. After being staked to an early 3-0 lead, Kikuchi gave it all back on a three-run blast off the bat of Ramon Urias in the fifth inning. Kikuchi got 11 whiffs on 98 pitches on the night — six on his fastball — while registering a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll look to get back in the win column as he carries a 4.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 165/40 K/BB ratio (143 2/3 innings) into Saturday’s matchup against the Royals.

Kikuchi gave up six hits, walked one and struck out seven. He allowed a leadoff home run to Jarren Duran to start the game and another run scored in the first inning on an error by Shay Whitcomb. In the sixth inning, a Jose Altuve error allowed Romy Gonzalez to reach base and he came around to score on a home run by Masataka Yoshida after Kikuchi was removed in the sixth inning. Kikuchi has a 4.37 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 161 strikeouts in 161 innings this year. The 33-year-old left-hander is set to face the Orioles on the road this weekend.