Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai is set to make a rehab start Tuesday for Double-A Corpus Christi against the Frisco Roughriders, the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate, manager Joe Espada announced Sunday.
Imai has been on the 15-day injured list since April 11 with right arm fatigue. Espada said Imai is fully stretched out and could pitch four or five innings Tuesday depending on his efficiency.
“Velo, strength tests, multiple things that we do for him,” Espada said of how the team has monitored Imai’s arm strength during his IL stint. “So far, it all looks good.”
Imai threw a bullpen session at Daikin Park on Sunday before Houston’s series finale against the New York Yankees. Espada did not specify how many rehab starts Imai would need before being reinstated, though a return to the Astros rotation is expected sometime in May.
The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 7.27 ERA across three starts this season after signing a three-year, $54 million contract with Houston in January. Two of those outings lasted fewer than three innings. His last appearance came April 10 against Seattle, when he recorded one out before being pulled. Three days later, he was placed on the IL.
Tests following his IL placement showed no structural issues with his arm, and Imai resumed throwing shortly afterward.
Transition Challenges
Imai’s struggles this spring extended beyond the mound. After eight seasons with the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball, the right-hander found the transition to American life more difficult than anticipated. His interpreter, Shio Enomoto, confirmed as much to The Athletic in April.
“He’s not able to adjust to the American lifestyle,” Enomoto said. “Baseball and outside of baseball. That’s probably the reason [for the arm fatigue].”
The challenges are not uncommon for pitchers making the jump from NPB to MLB: different training regimens, dietary norms, and the isolation of being far from home without a full support network. For Imai, some of those missing pieces are now in place. His personal strength coach, absent during the opening weeks of the season, has since arrived in Houston, as has his family.
“I think he’s in a much better place,” Espada said. “He feels like he is more complete when it comes to his progression, his process that he has leading into his next start, into his bullpen.”
The manager also pointed to ongoing communication as central to the adjustment.
“We continue to listen to him and have some things for him to consider and trying to make him adjust as best as possible,” Espada said. “It’s more kind of the off-the-field routine: coming in, when to lift, when to not. And that’s going to come with time.”
A Significant Investment
Houston made Imai one of its marquee offseason additions, banking on his decorated NPB career translating to big-league success. The early returns have been difficult, but the organization has not wavered. General manager Dana Brown, speaking to The Athletic on Sunday, made clear that the front office views the struggles as circumstantial rather than a referendum on the pitcher’s ability.
The Astros have been battered by pitching injuries across the board this season, with ace Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier also on the IL with shoulder strains. Getting Imai back healthy and effective would be a significant boost to a rotation that has posted a 6.04 ERA, the worst mark in the American League.
Tuesday’s start in Corpus Christi will be the first indication of where Imai stands as he works his way back.
Heading to Daikin Park soon? Check the Astros promotions schedule before your next game.
Photo by えすぱにぃ, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
2.jpg){kind=link}