Forrest Whitley

Forrest Whitley

28-Year-Old PitcherRP
 Free Agent  Foreign
Free Agent
2026 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
0.00
K
0
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
W-L
ERA
WHIP
K
SV
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
Former first round picks get more leniency than most, but the Astros gave up on Whitley after five appearances in 2025 after watching him allow 10 earned runs in 7.1 innings of work. Whitley was designated for assignment because he was out of options and the Astros eventually traded him to the Rays for (not Kevin) cash considerations. Whitley had some immediate brief success with the Rays before he went on to allow six earned runs without recording an out against Detroit, and then four more runs in his final inning of work with the club on 6/27. Whitley was released, cleared waivers, and reported to Durham where he finally found some success pitching to a 2.60 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP with a 21.7% K-BB in 55.1 innings with the Bulls. The Rays were tweaking Whitley's repertoire to focus on a north/south approach to the zone encouraging him to throw a cutter with more regularity so the 2025 season was more of a learning curve. Whitley still has his velocity and could compete for a spot at the back of the rotation or a swing role out of the pen since he is still out of options. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#362
ADP
League Foreign
Bats R
Throws R
40 Man No
Height 6'7"
Weight 240
DOB 9/15/1997
Drafted 1st Rd 2016
Signed a one-year contract with the Astros in March of 2025. Traded to the Rays in June of 2025. Released by the Rays in November of 2025.
Headed to Japan
PFree Agent  F
November 18, 2025
The Rays released Whitley on Tuesday.
Analysis
The Rays added Whitley to their 40-man roster earlier this month, but they've now granted him his release so that he can pursue an opportunity with a Japanese club. Whitley holds a career 10.57 ERA over 15.1 big-league innings, but the former top prospect pitched well down the stretch in 2025 at Triple-A Durham, holding a 2.60 ERA and 66:19 K:BB over 55.1 innings.
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2025 MLB Game Log
2025
2024
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-43%
BAA vs LHP
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
-50%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-14%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2024vs Left .243 44 13 6 9 3 0 1
Since 2024vs Right .429 42 4 5 15 5 1 2
2026vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025vs Left .233 37 11 6 7 3 0 1
2025vs Right .462 29 1 2 12 4 1 2
2024vs Left .286 7 2 0 2 0 0 0
2024vs Right .333 13 3 3 3 1 0 0
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-2%
ERA on Road
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
-58%
ERA at Home
2024
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2024Home 10.64 1.73 11.0 0 0 0 6.5 2.5 1.6
Since 2024Away 10.38 3.69 4.1 0 0 0 18.7 16.6 2.1
2026Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025Home 11.32 1.65 10.1 0 0 0 7.0 1.7 1.7
2025Away 27.00 6.00 1.2 0 0 0 21.6 32.4 5.4
2024Home 0.00 3.00 .666666 0 0 0 0.0 13.5 0.0
2024Away 0.00 2.25 2.2 0 0 0 16.9 6.8 0.0
Prospect Rankings History
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Forrest Whitley See More
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Forrest Whitley See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Whitley was supposed to be an established big leaguer by now and one of the more dominant starters in baseball. Instead, he's been sidetracked by multiple injuries and control problems and has yet to make his major-league debut. Whitley made his season debut last July after completing his Tommy John surgery rehab but posted a 7.09 ERA with 25 walks in 33 Triple-A innings before his year ended with shoulder trouble. The good news is that the shoulder issue was deemed minor and the 25-year-old's stuff looked as it did when he was viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in the game. The upside with Whitley is still there if he can stay healthy and throw strikes, but it's been a while since he's done either with consistency.
Whitley looked as good as he has in years during Astros summer camp before suffering an undisclosed arm injury that eliminated his chances of contributing in 2020. Since the start of the 2018 season, Whitley has thrown 137 innings, with 51 of those coming in two stints in the Arizona Fall League. He reworked his delivery in 2019 to improve his posture and lessen the stress on his arm. With three 70-grade offerings and two 60-grade offerings, Whitley still has the best pure stuff in the minors, but it has seemingly been one step forward and two steps back every year since his breakout 2017 season. More than anything, he needs to stay healthy for a 15-20 start stretch in order to make strides with his command and pitchability. The Astros said they expect him to be healthy for spring training, but we should believe that when we see it. Health will dictate the course of his 2021 season.
After missing seven weeks with shoulder fatigue, Whitley adjusted his delivery to incorporate better upper-body posture that would lessen the stress on his arm and allow him to throw more strikes. The growing pains while making those adjustments were significant, but perhaps inevitable for a 6-foot-7 pitcher changing a delivery he had used for the past seven years. He walked 25 in 35 IP after coming off the injured list but also struck out 53 over that stretch. With his ace-level arsenal in tact, the lean, athletic righty went to the Arizona Fall League and finished the year on a high note (2.88 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 32:9 K:BB in 25 innings). Whitley still has the best pure stuff in the minors. His fastball, changeup and curveball can all be 70-grade pitches and he has a plus slider and cutter. Still just 22, Whitley will need to show he can consistently command his pitches before joining the Astros' rotation.
An athletic, 6-foot-7 righty, Whitley is the undisputed top pitching prospect in the game. He has five plus pitches, including two 70-grade offerings in his fastball and changeup. It is the most dominant minor-league arsenal in recent memory. The question is, how many innings will he log in the big leagues this season? He was suspended for the first 50 games of 2018 for violating the minor-league drug program (Adderall is the rumored drug) and then missed over five weeks with a mild oblique strain. When factoring in the Texas League playoffs and the Arizona Fall League, Whitley threw just 55 innings. This is the most important statistic to consider when evaluating him for redraft leagues. He has never pitched at Triple-A and will likely be limited to around 110 innings, so even if he is healthy and dominant, Whitley may only log around 15 starts in the majors. He will be awesome when he pitches, just be aware of the workload limitations.
Whitley joined Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Dylan Bundy and Chad Billingsley as the only prep first rounders over the last 20 years to reach Double-A in their first full season. He accomplished the feat in style, getting better as the year went on (23.6 K-BB% at Low-A, 31.8 K-BB% at High-A, 39.3 K-BB% at Double-A). At 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, he has the frame to eat innings and uses his length to get excellent extension on his pitches, allowing his 92-94 mph fastball to play up as a plus pitch. This is usually where we discuss which secondary pitches need to improve for a 20-year-old to eventually profile in the rotation, but Whitley already has a complete four-pitch repertoire. His curveball is a second plus offering, and he commands a quality changeup and improving slider. It was announced in late February that he will be suspended for the first 50 games of 2018 for testing positive for a drug of abuse. This won't have a major impact on his long-term prospects, but could delay his big-league debut.
A 6-foot-7, 240-pound prep righty, Whitley draws physical comparisons to Josh Johnson. He fell to the Astros with the 17th pick, and they happily gave him an over-slot $3.15 million bonus. Whitley has a mid-90s fastball that receives plus-plus grades thanks to superb late life, and he features three secondary offerings -- something that separates him from most hard-throwing 19-year-olds. His hammer curveball is his second-best pitch, but his slider also shows plus potential. Given his age and size, the fact that he already has feel for a changeup is another mark in his favor. Excluding a 1.1-inning relief appearance where Whitley gave up four earned runs, he notched a 3.12 ERA and 24:5 K:BB in 17.1 innings across stops in the Gulf Coast and Appalachian leagues. He should receive an assignment to the Midwest League to start 2017. There is plenty of risk in investing in 6-foot-7 prep arms, and there will undoubtedly be bumps along the developmental road, but Whitley has the tools and physical traits to be a special pitcher for a long time.
More Fantasy News
Contract selected
PTampa Bay Rays  F
November 6, 2025
The Rays selected Whitley's contract from Triple-A Durham on Thursday.
Analysis
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Great run for Bulls to close season
PTampa Bay Rays  F
September 22, 2025
Whitley logged a 2.60 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 66:19 K:BB in 55.1 innings across 13 appearances for Triple-A Durham since he was designated for assignment June 28.
Analysis
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Stays in organization
PTampa Bay Rays  F
July 3, 2025
The Rays outrighted Whitley to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
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DFA'd by Tampa Bay
PTampa Bay Rays  F
June 28, 2025
The Rays designated Whitley for assignment Saturday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
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Dealt to Tampa Bay
PTampa Bay Rays  F
June 13, 2025
The Astros traded Whitely to Tampa Bay on Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Progressing through rehab
PHouston Astros  F
June 23, 2022
Whitley started for Single-A Fayetteville Wednesday and could move up to Triple-A at some point soon, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.
Analysis
Whitley tossed two shutout innings during Wednesday's rehab appearance, striking out two and allowing one hit. He threw 21 of his 29 pitches for strikes. He pitched two innings last week for the Astros' rookie-level Florida Complex League in his first game action since 2019. The 24-year-old had Tommy John surgery in March of 2021 after missing all of 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor-league season. Assuming his rehab progresses without any setbacks, it's likely Whitley will find his way back to Triple-A Sugar Land relatively soon.
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