SUGAR LAND, Texas — A.J. Blubaugh’s stay in Corpus Christi was a brief one.His days in the minor leagues might be numbered, too.

A few more outings like his first two of 2024 and Blubaugh could find himself in the Major Leagues. 

A 2019 Clear Fork graduate, Blubaugh was promoted Wednesday to the Sugar Land (Texas) Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.

The hard-throwing right-handed pitcher joined the team in Albuquerque, New Mexico, late Tuesday and made his Triple-A debut Thursday, throwing five scoreless innings in a 5-2 win. He allowed two hits and struck out six.

“It was a little different throwing in New Mexico because the air is a little thinner and we’re at elevation. That’s something I had to account for because my pitches aren’t going to move as much,” Blubaugh said Friday morning from Albuquerque, where the Space Cowboys will continue their six-game series with the Isotopes over the weekend.

“But overall, you’ll never hear me be disappointed with (allowing) zero runs. At the end of the day that’s the job.

“I would consider it a good outing.”

Houston’s eighth-ranked prospect, Blubaugh opened the season with Double-A Corpus Christi. He threw four scoreless innings in last week’s home opener and was with the team in Frisco, Texas, for a six-game road trip when he was summoned to manager Joe Thon’s office.

“After the game on Monday they explained to me what was happening,” Blubaugh said. “The next morning I flew from Frisco to Albuquerque and made it just in time for the game Tuesday.”

The quick reassignment caught Blubaugh by surprise.

“All my stuff is still in Corpus Christi right now. I unpacked every shirt and hung it up on a hangar,” Blubaugh joked. “That’s why you’ve got to pitch every outing like it’s your last. You never know where you’re going to be the next day.

“I’m glad I could leave Corpus with no regrets and hopefully start a new chapter here.”

Moving from city to city is nothing new for Blubaugh, a seventh-round draft pick of the Astros in 2022.

He began his pro career with Houston’s rookie league affiliate in the Florida Complex League before being promoted to Single-A Fayetteville of the Carolina League, where he was 2-1 with 20 strikeouts in 13 innings of work.

He started the 2023 season with the High-A Asheville (N.C.) Tourists and was 6-3 with 93 strikeouts in 85.2 innings pitched. He was elevated to Corpus Christi in late August and appeared in four games, making three starts for the Hooks.

Opponents hit just .093 against him.

His first full season of pro baseball ended with an assignment in the Arizona Fall League last September, where he struck out 17 in six outings with the Mesa Solar Sox.

Blubaugh was added to the American League roster for the Fall Stars, the Arizona Fall League’s All-Star game, and retired the only batter he faced in the AL’s 6-3 win.

The 23-year-old Blubaugh was a non-roster invitee to Houston’s big league spring training camp.

He made two appearances before being re-assigned to the minor league camp and was on Corpus Christi’s opening-day roster.

“They told me at the beginning it was nice that I was there but they didn’t expect me to break camp with the (big league) team. This is only my second full season of pro ball,” Blubaugh said. “They wanted me to throw against high-level batters and learn from it.

“I had two outings in spring training with the big-league team. They didn’t go very good, but I learned something about myself. The feeling of being on the mound with those guys behind me, I let it get to me.

“I learned I have to take a step back to take a step forward.”

A two-time Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year while at Milwaukee-Wisconsin, Blubaugh has transitioned to a starter for the Houston organization.

His only regular relief work came in the Arizona Fall League and that was because he already had thrown 100 innings between Asheville and Corpus Christi during the regular season.

“I’ve always been a starter with the Astros,” Blubaugh said. “When I was in Corpus and Asheville last year, what we did was called a tandem start. There were two starters for every game. One would start and the other would come in after him.

“In Sugar Land there is just one starter for each game. I’ll be starting here.”

How long he will be in Sugar Land remains to be seen. Some publications have projected Blubaugh to be on the big league roster in 2025, but the first two weeks of the 2024 season have taught him that anything is possible.

Has he allowed himself to think about another promotion this season?

“Obviously, the thought goes through your head. But you’ve got to focus on right now. I’ve been doing a lot of praying and asking God to keep my head straight and provide me with a humble approach to every day,” Blubaugh said. “I try to approach every game the same. I look at it inning-by-inning and then I look at it one out at a time and one pitch at a time.

“With that mindset, I’ve been able to make the game smaller and simpler.”

Regardless of what happens this season or in the future, Blubaugh will never stray too far from his roots. He still spends the off-season at his family’s home in the Clear Fork Valley.

“You can’t take me out of Bellville,” he joked. “We’ll see what happens, but I’ve always wanted to stay close to home.”