HOUSTON -- Astros right-hander Cristian Javier, a mainstay in the Astros rotation in 2022 and ‘23 before injuries disrupted his career, will be activated from the injured list prior to Friday’s series opener against the Rays at Daikin Park, but he will have a new role.
Javier, who landed on the IL after three starts with a right shoulder strain, will join the Houston bullpen instead of moving back into the rotation, a move that Astros manager Joe Espada said was made with several factors in mind. Espada said it had nothing to do with how Javier pitched in his five Minor League rehab outings in June, during which he posted a 4.08 ERA in 17 innings.
Instead, Espada cited the Astros’ upcoming schedule, Javier’s pitch shapes, velocity and the way he’s bounced back as reasons why the club is making the move, which isn’t permanent. He said Javier will be used as a conventional reliever, which means he won’t pitch in long relief or piggyback behind a starter.
“There’s a season to be played. There is an objective as a team we’re trying to accomplish,” Espada said. “We’re looking at all those factors, and we’re putting every individual where they’re in a position to have some success, and anything could change at any minute.”
The Astros optioned pitcher Kai-Wei Teng to Triple-A Sugar Land following Sunday’s game against the Tigers, leaving them with a five-man rotation of Tatsuya Imai, Spencer Arrighetti, Hunter Brown, Peter Lambert and Mike Burrows.
Houston nullified the Teng option assignment Wednesday and placed him on the 15-day Major League injured list with a right knee sprain. Teng began the season in the bullpen before being moved to the rotation in early May, and Espada said Wednesday he would be moved back to the bullpen while rehabbing at the team’s complex in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Javier broke into the big leagues as a starter in 2020 before making 30 consecutive relief appearances from May 28, 2021, through April 20, 2022. He’s worked almost exclusively as a starter since, with 74 of his last 76 appearances coming in the rotation. Javier made three starts to begin the season for the Astros, allowing 13 hits, nine walks and 13 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings before going on the IL.
In his most recent rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A Sugar Land, Javier threw six scoreless innings and allowed three hits and two walks. His rehab clock was up, so he had to be activated by Friday.
“Using him that way doesn’t mean it’s going to remain that way, but for now that’s the decision we came to,” Espada said.
Javier broke out in 2022, going 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA in 30 games (25 starts), holding opponents to a .170 batting average while striking out 11.74 batters per nine innings. He threw the first six innings in a pair of no-hitters that season, including one against the Phillies in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series. He went 10-5 with a 2.54 ERA in 31 starts in ‘23 after signing a $64 million contract extension that spring.
But injuries have limited him to 18 games since the start of ‘24, including Tommy John surgery two years ago. Javier returned for his final eight starts in ’25, over which he posted a 4.62 ERA.