DENVER -- During the offseason, the Astros’ main focus was on adding pitching depth after injuries ravaged the starting rotation in 2025.
Now, less than two weeks into the 2026 campaign, the fruit of that endeavor is being put through a rigorous stress test.
A day after the club announced that ace right-hander Hunter Brown has been shut down from throwing due to a right shoulder strain and would be re-evaluated in two weeks, right-hander Cristian Javier exited a 9-1 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday with right shoulder tightness.
That came just minutes after center fielder Jake Meyers came out of the game mid-plate appearance due to lower back tightness.
Javier said he first felt his shoulder tighten up when pitching to the last batter of the first inning, and then summoned Houston’s trainer while warming up for the second.
While both developments are concerning for Houston -- not to mention the fact that Houston was swept by Colorado in a series of three or more games for the first time since May 28-31, 2012 -- Javier’s exit was particularly so, given that the Astros are already trying to navigate choppy waters with their starting rotation.
“It’s not what I want to see, man,” said a somber manager Joe Espada. “It’s just hard.”
Javier, who turned 29 last month, was a mainstay in the Astros’ rotation in 2022 and ’23, a period over which he posted a 3.59 ERA and helped Houston win the 2022 World Series. But he only made seven starts in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, returning for eight starts in ’25, over which he posted a 4.62 ERA. Entering Wednesday’s start in Colorado, Javier had given up six runs in each of his two starts (12.96 ERA) this season.
It was not immediately clear what Javier’s next steps would be or how long he might be sidelined. He said there was no pain in the shoulder and he’s hopeful that it won’t be too long before he’s back.
“I think it will be good results, hopefully,” Javier said through interpreter Otto Loor. “I’m trusting in God that everything comes back fine and I can be able to make my next outing. … I did a couple strength tests [on the shoulder] and they came out pretty good.”
The Astros have been down this road before, which is why Houston spent the offseason acquiring pitching depth, signing right-handers Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Kai-Wei Teng and Ryan Weiss, among others.
But that group -- as well as long reliever AJ Blubaugh, Cody Bolton (who started in Monday’s loss) and Triple-A starters Jason Alexander, Colton Gordon and Peter Lambert -- is relatively inexperienced at the Major League level, making an already tenuous situation with the injury to Brown possibly even more difficult depending on how severe Javier’s issue is.
For Javier, not only is he awaiting what impact his injury will have on the rotation, but he is also facing another potential setback as he tries to regain his form from 2022-23.
“It’s complicated,” Javier said. “I’m very disappointed. It’s something where we lost the last two games against the Rockies and the bullpen was used a lot. So I felt like the team needed me out there.”
Meyers, meanwhile, said after the game that he felt his back tighten up on a check-swing in the second inning and after Espada and the trainer came out to check on him, he took a full practice swing and felt like he could continue.
“I thought I was good to go,” Meyers said, “but then I took a harder take and it tightened up more.”
Meyers, who was sidelined at different points last year due to a calf injury, has appeared in all 12 games so far this season.
The Astros now go into an off-day Thursday before opening a four-game series to end the current road trip against the Mariners in Seattle.
Houston entered Wednesday needing to fill two spots behind Javier, Burrows, Imai and Lance McCullers Jr. in a planned six-man rotation with 13 straight games coming up -- one of those is expected to go to Spencer Arrighetti, who is currently with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Now, it could be three.
“We’ve just got to flush this and you’ve got to get ready to play ball,” Espada said. “I trust these guys. They know how to do it. The injuries [have] piled on, and it’s not a good feeling.
“But if there’s a team that knows how to bounce back, it’s this group in here.”