It's something we've heard about for a while: If Jordan Lyles goes out and earns the SP5 job, they'll give it to him. But Ed Wade is okay with Lyles going back to Triple-A.
Wade:
"His performance and the level of competition around him will dictate the timetable as to when he gets here or if he stays here. If we're only focusing on the fifth spot, we do have competition and we do have some experienced guys there who conceivably could put Jordan in a position where he's back at Triple-A getting more experience...
..."I've said all along, in a perfect world, he gets more time [in the Minor Leagues]. His performance could dictate otherwise, and he could be here sooner rather than later. We're not closed-minded about it, but at the same time, he shouldn't be putting added pressure on himself."
Don't underestimate the allure of keeping him in the minors until the All-Star Break, so the Astros don't give him a Super-Two status, and give him an extra year of arbitration (see: Pence, Hunter).
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
