Houston, we have an arm for you.
Cristian Javier continued his rehab mission at Triple-A on Sunday. The Astros righty notched five strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings of three-run ball for Sugar Land in a 7-6 win over Albuquerque at Isotopes Park.
Javier ran into trouble early on against two-hole hitter Nic Kent. He fired a middle-middle four-seam fastball, resulting in a 412-foot solo homer with an exit velocity of 105.1 mph. Javier then yielded a single at 106.7 mph to Zac Veen (COL No. 13), allowed a stolen base and plunked Charlie Condon (COL No. 2/MLB No. 71).
The veteran stranded two runners with a sharp lineout and his first strikeout of the evening, which came against former Astros prospect Chad Stevens. Javier hit another batter in the next frame and issued his first walk, but the Space Cowboys' defense got him out of the jam with a caught stealing and a double play.
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After a six-pitch walk to open the third, Javier got bested again by Kent, who roped an RBI double to left field. Stevens then one-upped his former organization with an RBI single to put a third earned run on the starter's ledger. Javier still notched two more strikeouts, relying heavily on his fastball.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound hurler finally sat down Kent in the fourth on a six-pitch strikeout, leaving one runner on. He then got Veen to line out on the fifth pitch of the fifth frame and Condon sat down after waving at a 93.2 mph above the strike zone before Sugar Land manager Mickey Storey took Javier out of the game.
COMPLETE ASTROS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Through 22 batters, Javier threw 43 of his 75 pitches for strikes. He recorded a game-best nine swings-and-misses, with five coming via his fastball. Javier also averaged 92.6 mph and maxed out at 94.3 on his heater. Over four rehab starts, he has 16 strikeouts and six walks through 11 2/3 innings.
The Astros transferred Javier's Major League rehab assignment to the Space Cowboys on June 9. The righty -- who played a pivotal role for Houston's rotation en route to the World Series title in 2022 -- has made four starts in the Minors, his first coming at Double-A Corpus Christi on June 3.
Javier was placed the injured list on April 10 with a Grade 2 shoulder strain. The 29-year-old struggled out of the gate before hitting the shelf, allowing 13 runs over 9 1/3 innings with nine walks to four strikeouts. Due to a series of injuries, including Tommy John surgery, Javier has been limited to 18 starts since 2024.