Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Tuesday that Whitley will likely pitch in games at extended spring training rather than immediately reporting to Double-A Corpus Christi when his 50-game suspension ends May 29, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

EDGE Analysis

At some point after Whitley was suspended Feb. 21 for violating baseball's drug program, Luhnow revealed that the Astros' top pitching prospect sustained a minor lat injury that briefly shut him down for a couple weeks. As a result, Whitley's throwing program has been delayed slightly longer than expected, so he'll need additional time to build up his arm in Florida before likely entering Corpus Christi's rotation in the second week of June. Once he settles into a normal pitching schedule at Corpus Christi, Whitley probably won't take long to assert his dominance and warrant a promotion to the majors, though Houston's unmatched rotation depth could prompt the 20-year-old to make his big-league debut out of the bullpen.

Whitley (suspension) is throwing at the Astros' facility in Florida, preparing for an expected placement at Double-A Corpus Christi, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said the organization is "taking it slow" with Whitley, Houston's top prospect per many outlets, including RotoWire. By taking it slowly with the right-hander, the Astros are conserving his innings for when he eventually joins a minor-league affiliate.

Whitley has been suspended 50 games without pay for violating the minor-league drug program, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

This is the standard penalty for minor leaguers who test positive for drugs of abuse. Whitley is the game's top pitching prospect, and was poised to reach the majors at some point this season, so this puts a bit of a damper on his prospects for 2018. He was likely in line to throw 130-to-140 innings this season after throwing 92.1 innings in 2017, and he may struggle to reach that mark now. However, he could still join the big-league rotation at some point this summer, as it seems unlikely he'll meet much resistance in the upper levels of the minors. This will have little impact on Whitley's long-term prospects. Recall that Cardinals right-hander Alex Reyes, one of the other top pitching prospects in the game, received the same suspension in 2015, and it's no longer part of the conversation with him. Whitley will be able to pitch in spring training and could return to game action at Double-A or Triple-A in late May.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Whitley could reach the major league at some point in 2018, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 20-year-old right-hander breezed through three minor-league levels in 2017 and is expected to start this season in the rotation at Double-A Corpus Christi, but he could move quickly. Whitley won't be part of major-league spring training, so he won't use up innings early in the year. That way, Luhnow said, the organization can preserve him for potential use in September. If Whitley does make it to Houston, it would likely be as a reliever, as the organization will be cognizant of his workload.

Whitley acknowledges expectations for him may be high in 2018 after a promising first full season in 2017, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "There's extra excitement," Whitley said of the 2018 season. "I'm going to try to stay in my lane, stay where my feet are and be humble as possible and just play the game."

EDGE Analysis

There's talk of Whitley possibly being invited to major league camp at spring training, which would only fuel the expectations he created after the 2017 season. The right-hander struck out 143 batters over 92.1 innings across three levels as a 19-year-old last year. The 6-foot-7 Whitley will continue to work on harnessing those long limbs, something we saw toward the end of 2017. He improved his BB/9 from 4.1 at Low-A to 2.6 at High-A to 2.5 at Double-A. Whitley, Houston's top-ranked prospect per RotoWire, is expected to open the season at Double-A Corpus Christi with a shot to reach Triple-A Fresno as a 20-year-old.

Whitley allowed two hits and hit a batter while striking out 11 over six innings for Double-A Corpus Christi on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Whitley, Houston's first-round draft pick in 2016, is blowing through the system. The 19-year-old began the season at Low-A Quad Cities, then advanced to High-A Buies Creek before elevating to Corpus Christi. Whitley has showcased his power arm in 2017, striking out a ridiculous 128 batters over 83.2 innings (13.77 K/9).

Whitley was promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Whitley has been progressing quickly through the Astros' farm system this season, posting a 2.91 ERA with Low-A Quad Cities before being promoted to High-A Buies Creek, where he currently holds a 3.16 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 50:9 K:BB over seven games (six starts). The 19-year-old will look to continue his rapid ascension at the next tier, though likely remains a couple years away from the majors.

Whitley has notched a 0.90 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 14:1 K:BB over 10 innings in two starts since being promoted to High-A Buies Creek.

EDGE Analysis

The 6-foot-7 power righty continues to lay waste to lower levels of the minors, with two of his best starts of the season coming after his promotion from the Midwest League to the Carolina League. He now boasts a 2.56 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 81:22 K:BB in 56.1 innings across Low-A and High-A, and has solidified his status as one of the game's best pitching prospects.

Whitley, 19, has a 3.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 54:16 K:BB in 37 innings for Low-A Quad Cities.

EDGE Analysis

For the most part, Whitley has been capped at around 70 pitches per start, and he has generally struggled to be efficient, failing to log five innings in each of his last five starts. That said, he is missing bats at a monster clip. His 34.6 percent strikeout rate ranks second in the Midwest League and his 24.4 K-BB% ranks third. There are clearly things he could work on (command, control, sequencing) but this is the type of special arm that will be able to dominate in the lower levels even when he struggles to hit his spots.

Whitley, 19, sports a 3.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 19:2 K:BB in 10 innings (three starts) with Low-A Quad Cities.

EDGE Analysis

His outlandish 47.5 percent strikeout rate is due, in part, to him lasting just two innings while fanning six in his last outing, but this is still a pretty excellent start to the season for last year's 17th overall pick. Whitley has frontline upside, thanks to the potential for three plus or plus-plus pitches. As a 6-foot-7, 240-pound pitcher, he may take a little longer than the typical high-end pitching prospect to put it all together, but he could be worth the wait.