The Houston Astros have gotten hit hard by injuries as of late, and the losses keep piling up for the team, both on and off the field. On Monday, the Astros suffered their eighth straight loss, and making matters worse, they had to place starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai on the injured list with right arm fatigue.
After signing a three-year, $54 million contract with Houston over the offseason, the team had high hopes for Imai as he made the transition to MLB. However, he’s posted a 7.27 ERA in just three starts for his new team, and now, he’s missing time with an injury. Based on the latest update regarding Imai’s injury status, though, it sounds like he could be back on the mound sooner rather than later.
Astros’ Tatsuya Imai Avoids Serious Injury
Prior to arriving in the majors, Imai starred in Japan for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball. After struggling early in his career, Imai turned himself into one of the most consistent starters in the league, which helped him draw enough interest to make the jump to the United States over the offseason.
Imai enjoyed his best season in 2025 when he posted a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 24 starts. Early on with the Astros, though, Imai has gotten hit hard, as he’s given up seven earned runs while lasting just 8.2 innings over his three total starts. And now, there’s concern about his injury status after he landed on the injured list with a fatigued throwing arm.
The first order of business for Houston was to ensure that Imai avoided a serious injury, which led to him undergoing imaging on Tuesday. According to the man himself, those tests came back clean for Imai, with the team setting a plan in place for him to get back on the mound as soon as possible.
“Imaging on Tatsuya Imai’s arm has come back clean and ‘positive,’ Imai said through an interpreter. The team will try to increase his arm strength before Imai resumes throwing,” Chandler Rome of The Athletic shared in a post on X.
Astros Hoping Tatsuya Imai Avoids Lengthy Stint on Injured List
GettyThe Astros have received a positive injury update on starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai
The good news is that Imai appears to have avoided a serious injury, but it is a bit concerning to see that his arm is already fatigued this early into the season. With fellow starters Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier also landing on the injured list over the past week, though, this was pretty much the last thing the Astros could afford to have happen, especially with their losing streak continuing to roll forward without any end in sight.
It’s still very early in the season, but fans are beginning to panic over Houston’s slow start. With three key starters on the injured list, things could get worse before they get better for the Astros, too. All the team can do is push forward, and they will look to get back in the win column when they kick off a new series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
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