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Astros' Tatsuya Imai's recent rehab start reaffirms concerning trend originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
One of the bigger names in the recent offseason was that of Tatsuya Imai, who was preparing to make the move from Japan’s NPB to the MLB. When all was said and done, the Houston Astros won the bidding war for the Japanese ace, penning him to a three-year, $54 million contract.
While he had a 10-5 record in his final season in the NPB, with an ERA of 1.92, he hasn’t found that same success across the ocean, as he has only gotten a single win in his three starts, pitching to a 7.27 ERA.
Things weren’t made any easier when Imai was placed on the Astros’ 15-day injured list due to right arm fatigue. The 27-year-old has been on a stretch of rehab starts as he continues to get back to full speed before returning to the major leagues.
But his most recent start was shaky to say the least.
Imai's rough start
The Japanese ace took the mound for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate, on Tuesday night, going for a total of three innings. While he only allowed a single hit and a single run in his innings, he allowed a total of five walks.
The five walks aren’t something new to Imai’s time in the MLB, or minor leagues for that matter, as he allowed three walks in two innings of work with Houston’s Double-A affiliate, as well as allowing 11 across his 8.2 innings of time with the Astros this season.
What makes this recent lack of command from the mound interesting is that it wasn’t an issue for Imai during his last few seasons in Japan, finishing the 2025 campaign with a 2.5 BB9.
While there isn’t a set return date for the Japanese ace, it will be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
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