Right-hander Cristian Javier took a big step towards returning to the Astros rotation today when he began a rehab assignment, as relayed by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Javier threw 1 1/3 innings in the Florida Complex League today, and manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Kawahara) that Javier “came out feeling really good” after a 35-pitch outing where he touched 95 mph with his fastball.
That Javier is back on the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2024 is encouraging news for an Astros club in desperate need of pitching reinforcements. Breakout ace Hunter Brown and the ever-reliable Framber Valdez have been good enough this year to paper over a number of issues, but Lance McCullers Jr. has a 6.48 ERA in ten starts this year. Relying on him to start playoff games would be a tough pill to swallow, and rookies Colton Gordon and Brandon Walter aren’t much more reliable despite Walter in particular putting together a strong effort so far.
Javier has a career 3.59 ERA in the major leagues, but the Astros would surely take even the career-worst 4.56 he posted during the 2023 season if it meant adding some much-needed depth to their rotation. Kawahara writes that the Astros are “optimistic” that the right-hander will be able to return at some point in the second half to chip in for the club’s latest playoff push, but it’s not exactly clear when or in what role Javier will be expected to participate. Typically, a pitcher’s rehab assignment can only last for a maximum of 30 days. That would normally suggest Javier should rejoin the big league club at some point in early-to-mid August, but pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery can receive up to three ten-day extensions on their rehab time for a maximum of 60 days.
That means it wouldn’t be outlandish to see Javier continue rehabbing into mid-September, and that’s before even considering the possibility of a setback. Without a more firm timetable for the right-hander’s return, it’s hard to know how much Houston is expecting to be able to count on the righty in the second half. Fortunately for the Astros, Javier isn’t the only pitcher on the mend. Luis Garcia is still on his way back from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in May of 2023 after repeated shutdowns due to continued soreness in his elbow, but began a rehab assignment of his this past Monday. Spencer Arrighetti, meanwhile, has been sidelined since April with a thumb fracture. A rehab assignment could be in sight for him as well, but Kawahara relays (per Espada) that he’ll need “a couple” of sessions against live hitters before taking that step.
All of those impending returns from key arms should help the Astros down the stretch, but with so much uncertainty about that trio’s timeline it’s hard to imagine it being enough to convince the Astros not to search aggressively for rotation upgrades prior to the trade deadline on July 31. Last year, the club surrendered significant capital to acquire a top rental in the form of southpaw Yusei Kikuchi. Barring a surprise injury to Brown or Valdez, they may not need to be quite as aggressive this time around but should still at least be in the market for some type of rotation depth. Pirates southpaw Andrew Heaney, Nationals righty Michael Soroka, and White Sox right-hander Aaron Civale are among a number of veteran rentals who aren’t likely to be quite as expensive as some of the summer’s top names.