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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' Cristian Javier: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
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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Astros' Cristian Javier: Leaves outing with shoulder injury
Rotowire
Javier was lifted from Wednesday's start in Colorado after just one inning due to right shoulder tightness, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
AJ Blubaugh was warming in the Astros' bullpen before Javier even took the field before the second inning, so it seems the club knew something was off. Javier then threw a warm-up pitch, motioned to the dugout and eventually exited, with Blubaugh entering the game. If Javier needs to go on the injured list, Blubaugh is a candidate to absorb his rotation spot.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Struggles against Athletics
Rotowire
Javier (0-1) took the loss Friday versus the Athletics, allowing six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings.
Javier ran into trouble in the third inning and then found more of it in the fourth before he was pulled from the game. He threw just 44 of 82 pitches for strikes, though he was able to keep the ball in the yard after allowing two homers to the Angels in his season debut. Javier's command is looking like a big problem -- he has a 3:9 K:BB with two hit batsman over 8.1 innings across his two starts this season. He's also given up 12 runs, but much of that is self-inflicted damage from putting too much traffic on the bases. The right-hander won't catch a break in his next scheduled outing, which is projected to be on the road in Colorado.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Ineffective in no-decision
Rotowire
Javier took a no-decision Saturday against the Angels, allowing six runs on four hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out one.
The right-hander's command was spotty at best in his season debut, as he tossed 41 of his 74 pitches for strikes and also served up a pair of home runs. Javier had a delayed start to last year due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and it appears initially in 2026 that he still has some more rust to knock off after posting a 4.62 ERA through eight regular-season starts in 2025. Javier will be tough to trust in fantasy lineups in his next scheduled matchup at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park versus the Athletics.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Excels in second spring start
Rotowire
Javier struck out five and allowed two hits and one walk over four scoreless innings Sunday in the Astros' 1-0 win over the Marlins in Grapefruit League play.
Taking the hill for his second start of spring training, Javier built up to 56 pitches, spotting 38 of them for strikes while generating 11 whiffs. The right-hander's fastball averaged 92.3 miles per hour on the afternoon, a half tick behind his average from the 2025 season and about a half tick up from the 91.7 mph he averaged during his first start back on March 9, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Javier is expected to make one final Grapefruit League start during the upcoming week before making his first turn of the regular season in the Astros' four-game home series versus the Angels at the end of the month.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Returning to team Saturday
Rotowire
Manager Joe Espada said Friday that Javier (personal) will return to the Astros on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Javier left the team Wednesday to tend to a personal matter. The right-hander will turn 29 years old on Opening Day, and this will be his first fully healthy season since he underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2024. Across eight starts last regular season, Javier logged a 4.62 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 34:15 K:BB over 37 innings. He's tentatively expected to follow Hunter Brown and Tatsuya Imai in the rotation.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Away from team for personal matter
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that Javier will be away from the club for the next few days while tending to a personal matter, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Citing privacy, Espada didn't provide any further information regarding Javier's upcoming absence, but the skipper noted that the right-hander will continue to throw while he remains away. Javier tossed 1.2 innings and 52 pitches in his Grapefruit League debut Monday, so as long as he's able to return to the team in time to make another start before spring training ends, he should be able to handle something close to a normal workload when his first turn in the rotation comes up during the regular season.
Astros' Cristian Javier: Takes loss against Athletics
Rotowire
Javier (2-4) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out four over 4.2 innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Athletics.
Javier's own fielding error was responsible for the unearned run on his line. He ran into further trouble in the fourth and fifth innings, and the Astros' offense wasn't able to cover his mistakes in the end. Javier has allowed 14 runs (13 earned) over 21 innings across his four starts in September, losing three of them. He's now at a 4.62 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 34:15 K:BB through 37 innings over eight starts this season. He would be on regular rest for the Astros' regular-season finale Sunday versus the Angels, but if the team either clinches a playoff spot or is eliminated by then, Javier might not make that start.
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