Chris Devenski struck out 31.7% of the batters he faced last season. Only Ken Giles with 33.6% finished with a higher strikeout percentage than Devenski out of all qualified relievers for the Astros. He made short and long relief appearances. The team trusted with him a multitude of assignments. The age-27 right-hander was a key bullpen cog and will likely be counted upon again in a similar role in this upcoming season.
Or will he?
There isn’t much to question about the importance of Devenski in the bullpen. While he does have five major league starts to his credit in 2016, the Astros would have to be in a bind to start him.