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Javier (shoulder) will make another appearance Sunday for Triple-A Sugar Land in what should be his final rehab start, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Javier only made three appearances for Houston before being placed on the injured list April 10. Houston believes this upcoming rehab start should be the 29-year-old's final one, so it seems the right-hander is close to being back with the big-league club after missing over two months of action.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Set for one more rehab start
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that Javier (shoulder) will make a fourth minor-league rehab start before returning from the 60-day injured list, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Javier made his third rehab start and second straight start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, striking out six batters over 3.1 innings while yielding three earned runs on four hits and one walk. He built up to 63 pitches (37 strikes) in the outing, so the Astros will likely want to see Javier push up his count into the 75-to-85 range in his next start, which will likely come either Sunday or Tuesday. If all goes smoothly, Javier could slot back into the Houston rotation as soon as next weekend's series in Detroit. The right-hander has been on the shelf since April 10 due to a Grade 2 shoulder strain.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Third rehab start gets postponed
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Javier (shoulder) didn't make a rehab start Sunday as planned after Triple-A Sugar Land had its game against Sacramento get postponed due to rain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Astros haven't revealed whether Javier will merely have his next rehab start pushed back a couple of days, or if he'll instead throw a simulated game to stay on schedule with his throwing. After retiring just two of the six batters he faced in his first rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on June 3, Javier was much more effective while shifting his assignment to Sugar Land for his second start last Tuesday. In that start, Javier struck out three over three perfect innings while tossing 44 pitches (29 strikes). He'll likely need to build up his pitch count to the 70-to-80 range before the Astros bring him back from the 60-day injured list.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Underwhelms in first rehab start
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Javier (shoulder) recorded two outs -- both via strikeout -- and was charged with two earned runs on two hits and two walks in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi.
Javier made his first appearance at any level in nearly two months, as he's been on the Astros' injured list since April 10 due to a Grade 2 right shoulder strain. Given the long layoff, some rust was to be expected from the right-hander during the rehab outing, but he still fell short of the Astros' goal of reaching at least two innings and 30-to-35 pitches, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Javier needed 28 pitches just to generate two outs, though on a positive note, his fastball velocity sat around his pre-injury levels at 92-to-93 mph during the outing, per Javier Gonzalez of PelotaCubanaUSA.com. The 29-year-old will probably require at least three more rehab starts to build up his pitch count and re-emerge as a viable option for the Houston rotation.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Starting rehab stint
Rotowire
Javier (shoulder) will report to Double-A Corpus Christi on Wednesday to begin a rehab assignment, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The right-hander landed on the injured list in mid-April due to a Grade 2 shoulder strain, but he's ramped up his throwing program over the past few weeks and is now ready for game action. Javier will likely require a few starts in the minors before being cleared to rejoin the Astros.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Nearing rehab assignment
Rotowire
The next step in Javier's (shoulder) throwing progression will be a minor-league rehab start, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Javier has been sidelined due to a Grade 2 right shoulder strain since early April, and he currently resides on the 60-day IL. The right-hander tossed live batting practice Friday, and that apparently went well enough for the organization to decide that he's ready for game action. Javier will likely need multiple minor-league outings before he's activated, but a return to the big-league club before the end of June seems possible.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Slated for live BP
Rotowire
Javier (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Javier is ready to take the next step in his recovery from a Grade 2 right shoulder strain that landed him on the injured list in mid-April. He'll continue to throw bullpen sessions and live batting practices until he's progressed enough to embark on a rehab assignment. The expectation is that Javier will need multiple starts in the minors, so he may not be ready to be activated from the IL until early July.
The Astros announced Monday that Javier (shoulder) will begin a throwing progression this week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Javier had been shut down from throwing since landing on the shelf April 10 with a Grade 2 shoulder strain. Fellow starter Hunter Brown was placed on the injured list with the same injury April 7, but he appears to be much further along in the recovery process, as he's been able to throw off flat ground out to 120 feet and could throw his first bullpen session later this week. Given that general manager Dana Brown recently said that the Astros are hoping to get Brown back from the IL around early to mid-June, it's fair to expect Javier's absence to stretch into the latter half of June, if not July.
The Astros transferred Javier (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
Javier's initial placement on the 15-day IL was retroactive to April 9, so his move to the 60-day IL ensures that he'll be on the shelf through at least the first week of June while he recovers from a Grade 2 right shoulder strain. Given the length of his absence along with his poor numbers prior to landing on the shelf (12.54 ERA, 2.36 WHIP and 4:9 K:BB in 9.1 innings over three starts), Javier likely won't be worth holding in the majority of fantasy leagues.
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Astros' Colton Gordon: Shifts to bullpen
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Gordon struck out five and allowed three earned runs on four hits and one walk across 2.2 innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Cardinals.
Earlier in the week, Houston recalled Gordon from Triple-A Sugar Land and plugged him into a rotation that had recently lost all of Hunter Brown (shoulder), Cristian Javier (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (arm) and Cody Bolton (back) to the injured list. Gordon was lit up for four earned runs on eight hits across 3.2 innings while taking a no-decision Tuesday in Houston's 7-6 win over Colorado, and the poor showing as a starter followed by the extended relief appearance looks like it will at least temporarily keep the left-hander from receiving additional turns through the rotation. Ryan Weiss and Peter Lambert would now appear to be the likely candidates to fill out the final two spots in the Houston rotation, which could be scaled back from six men to five during the upcoming week with an off day looming Thursday.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Out through late May
Rotowire
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Javier (shoulder) isn't expected to return from the 15-day injured list until late May or early June, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "Hopefully it could be a little sooner."
Hunter Brown is facing a similar timeline for a return after he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right shoulder strain April 5 before Javier went down with the exact same injury in his start three days later. Javier remains in the midst of a no-throw program and is expected to be re-evaluated later on during the upcoming week before the Astros decide on his next steps. Even if Javier gets the green light to start playing catch following his re-evaluation, he looks like he'll require at least a month to get fully stretched back out. A more definitive target date for Javier's return won't become clear until he's ready to head out on what will likely be a multi-start minor-league rehab assignment.
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Astros' Hunter Brown: Out through late May
Rotowire
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Brown (shoulder) isn't expected to return from the 15-day injured list until late May or early June, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "Hopefully it could be a little sooner."
Cristian Javier is facing a similar timeline for a return after both he and Brown sustained Grade 2 right shoulder strains within less than a week of one another. Shortly after Brown was diagnosed with the injury April 5, the Astros indicated that the right-hander would be shut down from throwing for two weeks before being re-evaluated, so he could be cleared to start playing light catch at some point in the coming days. Even so, Brown will be in line for a lengthy buildup, and a more definitive target date for his return won't become clear until he's ready to head out on what will likely be a multi-start minor-league rehab assignment.
The Astros placed Javier on the 15-day injured list Friday with a Grade 2 strain in his right shoulder, retroactive to Thursday.
Javier's shoulder forced him to come out of his start Wednesday after just one inning, and he's likely to spend an extended period of time on the injured list now that he's been officially diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain. J.P. France was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land to add to Houston's bullpen depth, and AJ Blubaugh could be a candidate to move into the Astros' rotation after entering for Javier on Wednesday.
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