SEATTLE — Another shoulder strain has staggered the Houston Astros’ starting rotation.
Imaging on injured right-hander Cristian Javier revealed a Grade 2 right shoulder strain, the same diagnosis given to ace Hunter Brown earlier this week. Friday, Javier joined Brown on the injured list.
Javier’s strain is muscular in nature and in “the same general area of the shoulder” as Brown’s, manager Joe Espada said on Friday. Javier, like Brown, will be re-evaluated in two weeks, after which the next steps will be determined.
It’s unclear whether the same timetable applies to Javier, who exited his start Wednesday afternoon before the second inning. After the game, Javier said he felt “tightness” in his shoulder while facing his final hitter of the first inning. He threw one warmup pitch before the second inning, then summoned the training staff to the mound.
Losing Javier and Brown is a substantial blow to an Astros rotation already scuffling to start the season. Houston’s starters awoke Friday with a 5.13 ERA, the second-highest of any MLB rotation.
Brown, a reigning American League Cy Young Award finalist, had assumed the title of unquestioned ace after Framber Valdez’s departure in free agency this winter.
Allowing Valdez to walk only intensified pressure on Javier, who started two combined no-hitters in 2022, to reprise his role as a top-of-the-rotation starter. Houston is compensating him as such, paying the 29-year-old a $21 million salary this season — the fourth of a five-year, $64 million contract extension he signed after the 2022 season.
Javier has started just 49 games and thrown 243 innings, and he sports a 4.78 ERA since signing the deal. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2024 and recovered in time to make eight starts toward the end of last season. Houston had hoped a normal, healthy offseason would benefit Javier and offer a boost to a rotation in need of established depth.
Instead, it will navigate the foreseeable future without him. So, too, will Houston’s lineup without center fielder Jake Meyers, who has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain after injuring himself on a check-swing during Wednesday’s game.
The Astros did not offer a timeline for Meyers’ return. They called up outfielder Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Sugar Land to take Meyers’ spot on the active roster and summoned right-hander J.P. France to replace Javier.
Joey Loperfido drew the start in center field on Friday in Meyers’ absence — and would seem the most logical candidate to receive a majority of the playing time.
Top prospect Brice Matthews could also factor in, but Loperfido hits left-handed and would provide balance to a lineup in desperate need of it. Espada also didn’t rule out right fielder Cam Smith seeing action in center, a position he played sparingly in spring training.