The Houston Astros’ pitching situation took another turn Saturday when right-hander Tatsuya Imai was sent back to Houston to be evaluated for what the team is calling a “tired arm,” following Friday night’s one-out start against the Seattle Mariners. Chandler Rome of The Athletic first reported the evaluation. No further details have been released by the club.
Imai joins Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier as the third Houston starter to make the trip back from the road to be evaluated in the past week. Both Brown and Javier landed on the 15-day injured list with Grade 2 right shoulder strains. Whether “tired arm” proves to be a benign explanation or a precursor to something more serious remains to be seen, but at this point, Astros fans can be forgiven for not taking that phrase at face value.
In a corresponding move, right-hander Jayden Murray will join the Astros in Seattle today, with J.P. France optioned back to Triple-A Sugar Land after throwing 2⅔ innings in relief Friday night. Murray arrives on his 29th birthday, returning to the majors after posting four scoreless innings across four appearances for Sugar Land to open the season.
The Astros have not announced a starter for Sunday’s game.
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