The last thing the Astros needed was another injury concern, but that’s exactly what unfolded with Tatsuya Imai.
After exiting his start Friday following just one out, Imai, a rookie right-hander who inked a deal worth up to $63 million with Houston to make the jump from Japan this season, flew from Seattle back to Houston, according to MLB.com.
The outlet added that there wasn’t any hint at an injury for Imai following his short start Friday against the Mariners, when he allowed three runs in just the ⅓ of an inning after surrendering one hit and four walks while also hitting a batter.
He complained postgame that the mound at T-Mobile Park was “really hard” while also admitting he wasn’t used to pitching in these weather conditions — 64 and breezy, according to The Athletic — while throwing in Japan.
“In Japan, there’s only six stadiums we go around during the season,” Imai said, according to the outlet, “but here, we have to go to 30 stadiums and adjust to the mound in their stadium. That’s what I have to figure out, how to adjust to those mounds.”
Instead of just growing pains, though, the Astros are left with a potential nightmare scenario.
Starting pitchers Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier also went back to Houston during the Astros’ current road trip and were diagnosed with Grade 2 shoulder strains, forcing them to land on the injured list.
The Astros, just 6-8 after a 9-6 loss to the Mariners to open their three-game series, have already been forced to pivot, and any extended absence from Imai would mark just the latest instance less than a month into the season.
Imai entered the offseason as the top Japanese starter on the market, and he agreed to a deal with the Astros one day before his 45-day signing window closed.
He made headlines before his decision by saying he didn’t want to be like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki — two other high-profile Japanese starters who shifted to MLB in recent years — and join the Dodgers, but rather want to be part of a team that managed to topple a juggernaut like Los Angeles.
Across two seasons with the Seibu Lions, Imai collected a 2.14 ERA, and after a rocky debut with Houston, Imai settled in nicely with 5 ⅔ shutout innings Sunday against the A’s.