Former Brewers rotation mainstay having a shocking career resurgence

The Milwaukee Brewers first acquired Adrian Houser in a blockbuster deal with the Houston Astros back in 2015. He debuted that same season, but it took Houser a few years before he settled in as a mainstay of the Brewers' starting rotation.

Once he settled in, Houser started 97 games for the Brewers from 2019-2023. He covered 539.1 innings during that span and posted an ERA of 4.00. Houser was a middle-of-the-rotation arm that was good for 100+ quality innings every season. However, with an increasing arbitration salary and declining effectiveness, the Brewers traded Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor to the New York Mets for pitching prospect Coleman Crow in December of 2023.

2024 was a tough season for Houser. After being moved to the bullpen and failing to perform with a 5.84 ERA, he was released by the Mets at the trade deadline.

Houser bounced around the minor leagues following his release. He signed with the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles on minor league deals, but had a 6.37 ERA in Triple-A and did not return to the big leagues during the season. It was looking as if Houser's big league career was going to come to an abrupt end.

He signed with the Texas Rangers in the offseason, but failed to make the Opening Day roster. Due to an opt-out in his contract and a 5.03 ERA in Triple-A to begin the 2025 season, Houser was granted his release a few weeks ago.

The Chicago White Sox decided to give him a shot and add him to their major league roster. That decision is paying dividends for Chicago as Houser is suddenly having a shocking career resurgence in the White Sox starting rotation.

Adrian Houser's resurgence with the White Sox

Houser officially signed his major league contract with the White Sox on May 20 and was named Chicago's starting pitcher on the same day. He travelled to Chicago, sat out a rain delay, and then dominated the Seattle Mariners, throwing six scoreless innings while allowing only two hits.

Houser followed it up on Monday, going six scoreless with six strikeouts against his former team, the New York Mets. Through two starts with the White Sox, Houser has pitched 12 scoreless innings and left each game with the lead. He's allowed five hits and four walks in total, which is good for a WHIP of 0.75.

If we look at the data, this is looking like the new reality for Houser more than a lucky couple of games. His fastball velocity is up over 2 MPH from where it was last season, and all of his pitches are recording higher spin rates with more movement. Houser's average fastball this season is 94.6 mph, which is the best of his MLB career by a long shot.

It can be bittersweet to see a former Brewer having success with another team. But given the way Houser left and the kind things he said about the fanbase and the organization, it's good to see him doing well and extending his big league career.