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