The Houston Astros have been limping through this season, and a big reason why is that they’ve barely had Cristian Javier on the mound. That might change very soon.
According to MLB.com, Javier is expected to rejoin the rotation after one more rehab start. He threw 63 pitches over 3 1/3 innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on June 16. That’s not a huge workload, but it’s progress.
Javier has been out since April 9 with a Grade 2 shoulder sprain. This comes after he missed most of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. So far this year he’s 0-1 with a 12.54 ERA across three starts. He’s allowed 13 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. Those numbers are ugly, but context matters — he was clearly not right physically.
The Astros need him. Their rotation currently owns the second-worst ERA in all of baseball. That’s not a typo. The unit that used to be a strength has become a glaring weakness. And with the trade deadline approaching, how the team performs over the next few weeks could determine whether they buy or sell.
A lot of that hinges on what Javier looks like when he gets back.
What Javier Has Been When Healthy
His last truly good season was 2022. He went 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA over 25 starts and 30 total appearances. He was the guy who threw six no-hit innings in Game 4 of the World Series that year. That version of Javier is exactly what this rotation desperately needs.
But staying healthy has been a problem. He’s spent chunks of multiple seasons on the injured list. The shoulder issue this year, the Tommy John before that. The Astros have to be careful with him, and they probably will be. Expect a pitch count when he first comes back. Maybe they limit him to four or five innings, maybe they skip a start here and there. The goal is to get him through the summer healthy, not to blow him up in his second start.
Even in a limited role, though, he could make a difference. The Astros are sitting below .500 and trying to keep pace in a crowded AL West. Every win matters. If Javier gives them four or five innings of quality work every five days, that’s a significant upgrade over what they’ve been running out there.
The team hasn’t confirmed a specific return date yet. But the plan is clear: one more rehab start, then he’s back. After that, we’ll see if the Astros can make a run or if they’ll have to start thinking about next year.
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