Astros' J.P. France: Recalled, placed on 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Astros recalled France (shoulder) from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday and placed him on the 60-day injured list,
France had been on Sugar Land's 60-day IL after having season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in early July. The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of outfielder Ben Gamel, who was claimed off waivers from the Mets.
France underwent surgery Monday to repair a capsule tear in his right shoulder.
It had been reported previously that France was set to undergo season-ending surgery, and the specifics of the procedure have now been revealed. France is on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Sugar Land but could be a candidate for the major-league 60-day IL should the Astros need to free up a spot on the 40-man roster.
France will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Shoulder problems have kept France on the injured list at Triple-A Sugar Land since early May, and he suffered a setback in his recovery Sunday. Rather than pausing and restarting his throwing program, the 29-year-old right-hander will instead go under the knife to address the issue, putting an early end to his season. He'll finish with a 7.46 ERA and 1.70 WHIP through 25.1 innings over five major-league starts, and a timeline for his return will likely come following his procedure.
... See More... See Less
Astros' J.P. France: Suffers setback in recovery
Rotowire
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that France (shoulder) experienced a slight setback while recently taking part in long-toss throwing, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. "At some point we'll get him stretched out and back out on the mound," Brown said. "It's been longer than expected."
France secured a rotation spot coming out of spring training but turned in a 7.46 ERA over five starts before the Astros optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land in late April. The right-hander proceeded to make just one start in the minors before landing on Sugar Land's 7-day injured list May 7 with a right shoulder injury. Though he was cleared to resume throwing earlier this month after about a one-month shutdown period, France didn't advance to mound work before succumbing to a setback. Brown didn't go into much detail about the extent of France's setback, but the right-hander would appear to be unlikely to rejoin the Triple-A rotation until after the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Astros' J.P. France: Remains shut down
Rotowire
France (shoulder) has yet to resume a throwing program at Triple-A Sugar Land, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
France hasn't pitched in more than a month after injuring his right shoulder in his first start after being optioned to Sugar Land. It's uncertain when he might be cleared to throw, but certainly he's not going to be an option for Sugar Land (or the Astros) for a while.
France was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday with a shoulder injury, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander was demoted to Triple-A on April 25 and surrendered three runs over 3.2 innings during his lone start prior to the injury. France is without an official timeline for return but could be out "a while," per Rome. The injury won't immediately affect the Astros' rotation but is a big hit to their depth.
... See More... See Less
Astros' J.P. France: Being optioned
Rotowire
The Astros are optioning France to Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of their trip to Mexico City on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
France is being optioned to clear a spot for Framber Valdez, who will start Sunday. In France's last outing Tuesday, he took the loss while allowing five runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Cubs. The 29-year-old has now given up multiple home runs in consecutive starts. The move prompts questions about how the Astros rotation lines up going forward.
... See More... See Less
Astros' J.P. France: Takes loss against Cubs
Rotowire
France (0-3) took the loss Tuesday, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks over five innings against the Cubs. He struck out six.
France endured a nightmare first inning, yielding a two-run home run to Cody Bellinger and a three-run homer to Mike Tauchman. However, he settled in following the frame, allowing just one hit in his final four innings while keeping Chicago off the scoreboard. France has now given up multiple home runs in back-to-back starts. Despite his struggles, France will likely have another go-around in the rotation due to the Astros lacking healthy arms, and he's projected to make his next start against Cleveland this weekend.
... See More... See Less
Astros' J.P. France: Hit hard in no-decision
Rotowire
France came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to Atlanta, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.
While his final numbers were solid, three of the hits off France went for extra bases, including no-doubt solo homers by Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna. The right-hander tossed 51 of 90 pitches for strikes, and while this was his best performance of the season so far, his spot in the rotation only seems safe because Houston lacks healthy options to replace him. France will take a 7.08 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 16:8 K:BB through 20.1 innings into his next outing, scheduled to come on the road next week against the Cubs.
France (0-2) allowed eight runs on eight hits and four walks over four innings Friday, striking out three and taking a loss against Texas.
France gave up one run through two innings before he was lit up for six runs in the third. Most of the damage that frame came via Jonah Heim's three-run blast. In each of his first two starts of 2024, France had yielded exactly three runs over 5.2 innings. Now, he owns a brutal 8.22 ERA with a 12:7 K:BB across 15.1 innings. France is currently in line for a tough home matchup with Atlanta next week.
France (0-1) allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks across 5.2 innings to take a loss Saturday versus the Rangers. He struck out four.
There was traffic on the bases all night against France, but he was pulled in the sixth one out shy of a quality start with the game tied 2-2 at the time. Reliever Bryan Abreu gave up a two-out RBI single to add another run to France's line. While he hasn't been bad in either start thus far, France still might need to pitch a little better to avoid being sent to the bullpen or Triple-A Sugar Land when Justin Verlander (shoulder) returns.
... See More... See Less
Astros' J.P. France: Back from paternity leave
Rotowire
France was activated from the paternity leave list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
France was away for a few days this week while welcoming a new baby to the family. He is scheduled to start Saturday against the Rangers.
... See More... See Less
Astros' J.P. France: Away on paternity leave
Rotowire
The Astros placed France on the paternity list Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
France will be allowed to miss up to three days as he welcomes a new addition to his family. Dylan Coleman was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.
