![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-05-at-7.19.19\u202fPM.png\")
<\/p>\nSUGAR LAND, Texas \u2014 Expectations have diminished during Tatsuya Imai\u2019s first month of Major League Baseball. The Houston Astros projected and paid him to be a midrotation starter but now have smaller goals in mind \u2014 baby steps for someone still struggling with a massive transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly,\u201d manager Joe Espada said Monday afternoon, \u201cI\u2019d really just rather him just go throw a ton of strikes and (get) balls in play (rather) than seeing walks. We want him to trust throwing the ball in the zone. If he goes tomorrow and does that, we\u2019ll feel good about the outing and what to do for him next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Imai didn\u2019t Tuesday night, prompting wonder where this partnership goes from here.<\/p>\n
Making an unscheduled, second minor-league rehab start, Imai walked five batters, threw 27 of his 63 pitches for strikes and caused more concern about his ability to aid an Astros rotation in desperate search of stability.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been practicing, throwing bullpens the last few weeks,\u201d Imai said through interpreter Shio Enomoto. \u201cI was getting ready (for) whenever they call me up. That\u2019s the decision the manager makes, so I\u2019m just going to keep getting ready and get back to a major-league game.\u201d<\/p>\n
This version of Imai does not appear to be ready, even for a rotation that deployed bullpen games two of the past three days and a pitching staff that boasts baseball\u2019s highest ERA. A lack of other options \u2014 coupled with Imai\u2019s contract \u2014 might prompt the Astros to attempt it anyway.<\/p>\n
Still, nothing Imai has done since being sidelined with \u201carm fatigue\u201d should generate much faith he can make a meaningful impact.<\/p>\n
Imai has finished five innings across two minor-league rehab appearances. Double-A hitters struck six hits and scored five runs in the two innings Imai threw last week. He needed 59 pitches to finish them.<\/p>\n
Those results prompted the Astros to reverse course and require Imai to make another minor-league rehab start. When he did so Tuesday at Triple-A Sugar Land, Imai generated a 6 percent chase rate and just 18 swings (five whiffs) from the 14 batters he faced.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, Espada said the Astros expected \u201cfour or five\u201d innings from Imai. He managed just three \u2014 and was one batter away from not finishing the third.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis outing, I was able to throw three innings and 60-plus pitches,\u201d Imai said. \u201cI think I was able to show the coaches and staff that I was able to handle a lot more pitches than (the) last outing. From now on, I think it\u2019s skill-wise \u2014 attacking the zone, being aggressive in the zone and get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Imai threw four more pitches Tuesday than he did during his first rehab start. Though he surrendered just one hit, Imai gave the Albuquerque Isotopes no reason to swing. Three of Imai\u2019s five walks came against left-handed hitters, against whom he has had the most trouble commanding his arsenal.<\/p>\n
Imai issued two four-pitch walks and two more five-pitch free passes. Very few of his misses were close, continuing a problem that has plagued Imai since spring training ended.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Before going on the injured list, Imai threw 54.2 percent of his pitches for strikes while walking 11 batters in 8 2\/3 major-league innings. He has issued eight more free passes to the two minor-league lineups he\u2019s faced, a flummoxing trait for team officials who watched Imai throw strikes during spring training and in a decorated Nippon Professional Baseball career.<\/p>\n
The pitch clock has caused problems, Imai said Tuesday. So have the differences in pregame preparations.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore games in Japan, I can take some time, and I can go to throw inside to the lefty, can get a first-pitch strike with (the) slider,\u201d Imai said. \u201cHere, we do scouting reports, and we talk about the (weaknesses) of the hitters. I\u2019m thinking I want to talk more about the strengths that I have using sliders early in counts, getting more strikes with the sliders and the other pitches more.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Imai threw 10 first-pitch fastballs and four first-pitch sliders. Only one of the sliders landed for a strike. Imai\u2019s four-seam fastball touched 96.6 mph and sat at 95, but of the 43 he threw, just nine were called strikes.<\/p>\n
Flashes of competence did appear during the first two frames. Imai procured six outs on 27 pitches. Only one of the seven batters he faced worked a walk. Three others hit weak groundballs up the middle for easy outs.<\/p>\n
According to Imai, between the second and third inning, pitching coaches encouraged him to throw his splitter and changeup more in his second look at Albuquerque\u2019s order. Of the 27 pitches he threw in the first two frames, 24 were either a fastball or a slider.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s probably why I wasn\u2019t able to get a first-pitch strike because I wasn\u2019t throwing splitter and changeup in the first two innings,\u201d Imai said.<\/p>\n
Asked Monday whether Imai\u2019s results during this rehab start would determine whether he would rejoin the major-league rotation, Espada said, \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be just based on performance, but we are looking for a good outing.\u201d<\/p>\n
After they didn\u2019t get one, a difficult decision awaits.<\/p>\n
Following an off day Thursday, a stretch of 13 consecutive games looms. Seven of them are against divisional opponents, delivering perhaps a season-defining opportunity for a team sitting seven games below .500.<\/p>\n
Presuming the Astros want to keep Imai pitching on five days of rest, he could rejoin the team\u2019s rotation Monday. Houston opens a four-game series against the defending American League West champion Seattle Mariners that night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis past few weeks, there\u2019s (been) a lot of games where relievers start the games, the opener,\u201d Imai said. \u201cI think me, of course, and the other starters, we have to be more aggressive. And if I wasn\u2019t on the IL, I could help the team more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether he can do so seems like a legitimate question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SUGAR LAND, Texas \u2014 Expectations have diminished during Tatsuya Imai\u2019s first month of Major League Baseball. The Houston…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691734,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2302],"tags":[5,54,2353,2352],"class_list":{"0":"post-691733","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-npb","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-houston-astros","10":"tag-nippon-professional-baseball","11":"tag-npb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116527211370874269","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}