​Ronel Blanco has been working his way back from Tommy John surgery and the Astros are getting closer to having him back in the rotation. After a long road back, things are trending in the right direction.Blanco underwent Tommy John surgery with an internal brace last June after missing most of 2025. He has been on the 60-day IL since the start of this season, but he has been making steady progress through his rehab assignments.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHere is a look at his rehab outings so far, per MLB:June 19: 3 scoreless innings, 5 strikeouts, FCL AstrosJune 25: 3.1 scoreless innings, 2 strikeouts, Double-A Corpus ChristiJuly 2: 4.1 innings, 4 strikeouts, Double-A Corpus ChristiJuly 8: 2 scoreless innings, 2 strikeouts, Triple-A Sugar LandThe Astros were hoping to have him back before the All-Star break, but decided to give him one more tune-up outing first. He is expected to return after the break.When healthy Blanco is one of the better starters on this roster. He threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays in 2024 and posted a 2.80 ERA in 167 innings that season. The Astros are desperate for rotation help and his return could not come at a better time.The rotation has been the biggest problem all season. Getting Blanco back healthy heading into the second half is a boost this team badly needs.