The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Astros Pitcher Hayden Wesneski Joins the Show

Episode Date: August 18, 2026

Astros Pitcher Hayden Wesneski Joins the Show 

132. It is Sports Talk 790, the Matt Thomas show with Ross. Ross is off today, so I get my opportunity to speak, just him and myself to a man who fought his ass off to get back on the mound. Tommy John's surgery, back with the Astros, hopefully to make it a September to remember. And that is Hayden Wisniewski here on the program. Hey, and it's Matt. Thanks for joining us. And congratulations, first and foremost, on all your hard work and getting back on the mound. No, I appreciate it. Yeah, that's definitely the goal is ever a September to remember. Hey, I don't want to get into a deep dive on the Tommy Jones. We're just going to knock it out with one fail swoop.

From the time you found out you had it to the procedure and the recuperation time, was your emotions ebbs and flows of despair, unhappiness, madness, and then you finally got over it? Or did you come to the grips that, unfortunately, because of what you do, a lot of pitchers, just like yourself, have suffered serious heavy injuries like this? You kind of, I would say a mixture of it. Like, I think you just assume it's kind of going to happen at some point, but then when it does happen, you're kind of like unsure that it's actually happening.

The hardest part was probably after surgery, those first six to eight weeks, when you can't really use the right arm. So that's kind of where I got really frustrated. I would yell at my, wife because I couldn't, I would try to do something and it wouldn't happen and I'd ask her for help and you know how that goes. But yeah, I think it started off and before surgery, like, okay, this is just kind of something that happens. And then once it was reality, it was kind of a little bit of the depression side of things. So you did some yelling at your wife.

How'd that go for you? Was she cathartic or she's like, man, shut up. Get up. You do it yourself. I think it started off as a little bit of sympathy, but then it started. ready to get to the point of like, okay, this is enough. You're, I'm over this. All right.

You know what? She deserves a lot of the credit than herself. Let's give out a shout out to her as well. Hey, let's go to the positives. When did you throw the ball? First time you threw, you obviously were nervous and got past that. But give me the moment in time when you're like, I'm ready to put that Houston Astro uniform on.

I'm done with these rehabs. I'm done with being in down extended spring training. I'm ready to go help with the ward Astros across my. my chest. I would say around like the last two rehab starts, they were, it was starting to, you know, I was starting to throw the ball where kind of where I wanted to, the ball's spinning a little bit better. I was in Houston for some of them.

And then I finally, one of the rehab stents, I traveled, so it was like, that's the first time I've traveled to play baseball in a long time. So that was kind of, I was in a hotel. Like, I hadn't done that in a while. So I would say right around the last couple starts where it was like, you know, You know, I'm seeing the light in the tunnel. It's not just work at this point. It's like sharpening it up to make it happen.

So I would say, yeah, the last couple of rehab starts were really, you know, I was seeing the vision. Absolutely. Hayden Wisniewski with us here on Sports Talk 790. So what have the doctors, trainers, other folks that have looked at you since then, not necessarily to prevent this, because obviously you don't want to go to this again, but has your off days, has your throwing programs when you're not on the mound? are they significantly different than they were before you got hurt? I would say that the stuff I do before I throw is completely different.

It's very much, there's a lot of different things that I do that I take into account. A lot of after I throw is very different as well. But the throwing program and like what I do, like actually throwing the baseball and like the amount and stuff like that, it hadn't changed that much. I know that sounds a little bit strange because I did get hurt doing it, but a lot of my, the Tommy John I had, not every Tommy John is the same, so let's start with that, but mine was just overused, and mine wasn't working.

And what ended up happening is my elbow swelled up so bad, I couldn't bend it or straighten it. So I didn't really have a pitch. Like most guys have a pitch, really like it breaks and I feel it, or they have these like moments, like these one moment where it happened. And I just didn't have that. I came off the plane. I landed.

I was driving home, and I just, my elbow swelled up so bad, I couldn't bend it or straighten it. And so I kind of knew at that point, I was like, this isn't going to happen. Like, I can't pick up a ball. There's no way. It was an off day. I was trying to make it happen for the next day. And so I had a little bit of a different experience. And I would say, you know, like a Ronel Blanco or some of these other guys that had, like, one pitch or, you know, like moments that it just happened.

but I would say the reason that's why I haven't changed too much of my throwing, and I don't want to reinvent the whole wheel. No, it's probably the smart way to go on that. So not only do you come back and you fight your way to that, but you jump into a middle of a pennant race. What a surreal feeling this must be for you. A, you're excited personally to be back on the mountain throwing, and all by the way, we need you to be effective as you best you can't,

best you can every fifth day for this team. Oh, yeah. To be honest with you, I know this sounds crazy. Yeah, there's pressure that goes with it, but there's always pressure, Matt. The way I look at it is I'm here to help the team win, and if you cut it as simple as that, it makes it a lot easier to go pitch every inning. Not easier, but you kind of just, hey, I'm here to win this game, and that's how you make it as simple as possible,

and a lot of the great ones do that. And so with, you know, all the pennant race coming, it's one of those things where you just try to make it a simple, as simple as possible. Hey, we're trying to win this game today. And then I'm happy to pitch in it and, you know, give our team a chance and let the line of do its damage. And, you know, we're just trying to win the game, right? You just cut it up as simple as possible. Yeah, sometimes you've got to dumb it down. So you have rehab appearances for Sugar Land and the outside and it's hot. You pitched in San Francisco at last week. I was telling my partner

of this, he's on here today to back this up. But I think there's night and day between pitching at night and during the day in San Francisco. How cold was it on that mound? when you played against the Giants? So, you know, it's funny, we're talking to, like, Lamont Wade, he, Lamont Wade Jr., that dude, he played for San Fran a lot, so we kind of got some, you know,

just talking to him about it and some intel, and kind of figuring out how to deal with it a little bit, but hitters don't like it cold. I think, I know pitching in the colds not very fun, but at least I'm just doing stuff the whole time, you know, but hitting is definitely not very fun. And so especially you break some hands, or you break their bat,

him, like, you know, they, they rattle their hand a little bit, but it isn't very fun, but I didn't mind pitching. I didn't feel that cold while pitching. I didn't realize how cold it was until the next day, because I pitched it on the first day. Yes. I didn't realize how cold it was at night until the next day, when I think Hunter pitched or it doesn't matter. The next day, I didn't realize how cold it was, and so I was just sitting there not doing anything. But while you're moving, it doesn't feel too bad. They have a good little setup there, and, uh, so,

I didn't realize it while pitching. I always pitch the sleeves. I don't like to pitch. I don't want to tip. That's kind of my big, you know, kind of things out of avoid, right, and sleeves kind of help that. So it didn't really, I didn't really notice how cold it was until, you know, the day I wasn't pitching. All right. Before I let you go, we have a serious conversation we need to have, and I totally agree with you about the next topic.

I went to go look to see if you are on Twitter, which you are. You've not tweeted since November. You wish everybody a happy Thanksgiving, which was very nice of you. but you put on your top of your page Pepsi over Coke all day long now I bring that up on my radio show and I get crap from my audience can you back me up I love Coke

but I love Pepsi too you can like both but yeah I like Pepsi better and yeah my friends get they get on me for it I just I don't know I don't want to give just basic you know stuff I just I like Pepsi I don't know what's to say you can like both but I feel like people have just accepted Coke as a better option, and I totally disagree.

Well, I just, I mean, did they serve Pepsi at Sam Houston or no? They definitely did, yes. They definitely did. I think a lot of my buddies, like the Mountain Dew. Yeah. I just want to let you know that if you need anybody to have your back on Pepsi, now again, I'm not going to say it's over Coke, but I'm going to put it right in mono-a-mono with it. You got me as your backup.

I just want you know that. So I was just happy that someone was able to declare Pepsi. Pepsi is a damn good product. I agree. Yeah, I do need some backup. I don't have very much of it. Well, guess what? When you win the American League West and you guys are, you know, throwing beer up in the air and champagne,

why don't you do a couple of Pepsi's and get everybody acclimate to how delicious it tastes? Yeah, I'll sneak them in there. I'll have one for you. Hey, very happy for you in your recovery. No, it's not easy from a mental and physical standpoint. Congratulations on this ability to get back. on the mountain. And pretty soon, this trade between you and Esock and Cam will be

the Hayden Wisniewski trade, not the Kyle Trucker Trade. You're pretty excited about that, right? I appreciate that, but, you know, I'm going to be honest with you. It's hard to outshine Cam and Esock as well. You got three powerhouses in this trade. Yeah. I make the joke that I was a throw-in. No, not.

You win 15 games next year. It won't be a throw-in. I can tell you that for sure. Hayden, thanks for the time and best of luck this week. We appreciate you joining us. I appreciate, man. Thank you. Take care. Hayden Wisnowski with us here on the Matt Thomas Show at Ross. Good guy. And again, pride of same Houston and loves him some Pepsi.