Tatsuya Imai Fantasy Stats

Right-hander Tatsuya Imai will not opt out of his deal with the Houston Astros this offseason, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Imai has $36 million and two years left on his deal with the team and has another opt-out clause in his contract after the 2027 season. The 28-year-old Japanese hurler showed some flashes in his first year in the big leagues in the United States, but ultimately, he was a disappointment for Houston and fantasy managers, going 6-4 with a 4.93 ERA (4.25 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with 97 strikeouts and 51 walks in 76 2/3 innings across his 23 appearances (15 starts) for the Astros in 2026. Imai's fantasy stock fell drastically towards the end of the season, when he was deployed out of the bullpen in the final two months. Depending on how the team's starting-rotation options are looking in spring training next year, it is possible that the Astros could keep Imai in a relief role, which would make him avoidable in nearly all fantasy formats in 2027. As a reliever in a small sample size of just eight appearances, Imai was much more effective for Houston, allowing only four earned runs on eight hits while walking 11 and striking out 25. Better control would help Imai bounce back in his sophomore season in the big leagues.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai will be moved to the bullpen for the time being. Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters on Friday that Imai will move to the bullpen for the upcoming weekend series against the Texas Rangers. It has been mostly a struggle for Imai, so the team will see if he is more reliable out of the bullpen. During his latest start, Imai allowed two earned runs and walked four batters across 0.2 innings of work. The Astros haven't named a replacement to take Imai's spot for Sunday's start, but the expectation is that Peter Lambert will get a chance in the rotation. Imai is unlikely to offer much fantasy value out of the bullpen, so fantasy managers can start looking for a replacement.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai is a tough player to trust, but the strikeouts keep him on the waiver-wire radar. The 28-year-old is 5-4 with a 6.14 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts through 48 1/3 innings. He struck out 11 over six innings against Cleveland on June 19 and followed with 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings at Detroit on June 25. Then came the reminder of why he is still available. Imai lasted only 1 1/3 innings against Minnesota on July 1, allowing five runs and walking five. His 27.9% strikeout rate is useful, but a 14.0% walk rate and 46.3% hard-hit rate explain the ugly ratios. Imai is rostered in 40% of Yahoo leagues, and RotoBaller lists him as an add in 12-team formats. He fits teams chasing strikeouts, not managers protecting ERA and WHIP.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai's surface stats still look pretty shaky in his first year in the big leagues, but after a rough start to his first season in the States, the 28-year-old has looked more dominant of late and needs to attract interest on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues. Imai was extremely hard to hit for the second straight outing in Thursday night's 2-1 win over the hosting Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, tossing six shutout innings with only two hits allowed, one walk, and 10 strikeouts to drop his season ERA to 5.36. It was his fifth victory of the year. The Japanese native gave up five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning on June 12 to the Kansas City Royals, but he has now fanned 21 hitters with only three runs allowed and one walk in 12 innings in his last two starts. Imai was sent to the injured list early in his MLB debut due to a dead arm, and while it hasn't been perfect since his return, he is definitely looking much more like the pitcher the Astros invested in over the offseason. He should be a popular waiver-wire pickup heading into his next scheduled start against the Minnesota Twins. Imai is rostered in 45% of Yahoo leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai got off to a rough start to his first year in the United States and landed on the injured list with a dead arm. The 28-year-old Japanese native entered his start on Friday night at Daikin Park against the Cleveland Guardians with an ugly 6.43 ERA (5.24 FIP) and 1.51 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and 24 walks in 35 innings over his first nine starts and looking to rebound after giving up five earned runs on four hits while walking one and striking out one in just two-thirds of an inning his last time out on June 12 against the Kansas City Royals. He did just that on Friday night, picking up his fourth win of 2026 by giving up three earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out a career-high 11 batters in six innings pitched. It was only the second time in his first 10 MLB outings that he didn't allow a walk, and Imai did most of his damage against Cleveland with his nasty slider. Imai's ERA still sits above 6.00, but he has now recorded three quality starts in his last five outings and looks to be turning a corner as we near the All-Star break next month.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai combined with relievers Steven Okert and rookie Alimber Santa to record baseball's first no-hitter of the 2026 season against the hosting Texas Rangers, and the first no-no since 2024, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Imai had the best performance of his MLB career, tossing six no-hit innings while walking four and striking out two to lower his still-bloated season ERA to 6.17. The no-hitter was the first in the big leagues since Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge combined to no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 4 of 2024. It was the Astros' 18th no-hitter in franchise history, and their fifth combined no-hitter -- the first since Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Ryan Pressly did it in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite throwing six no-hit innings on Monday, Imai still walked four batters. Fantasy managers will probably want to see more before scooping him up off the waiver wire.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai (arm) will make his return to his team's starting rotation on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Imai has been on the 15-day injured list since early April due to right arm fatigue. The 28-year-old got off to a brutal start to his first MLB season before hitting the injured list, allowing seven earned runs and 11 walks across 8 2/3 innings (three starts). Imai wasn't much better in two minor league rehab appearances, allowing six earned runs and eight walks across five innings. Still, Houston signed Imai to a three-year, $54 million contract this past winter and will likely give him every opportunity to prove himself. Fantasy managers should proceed with major caution until Imai shows he can lock in his command.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai's (arm) next start will be in the big leagues, manager Joe Espada told Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. It's unclear when Imai's next start for the Astros will come after he's reinstated from the 15-day injured list, but it could come early next week versus the division-rival Seattle Mariners. Imai looked better in his second minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday, allowing one run on one hit while walking three and striking out five in three innings of work. The 27-year-old Japanese native only made three starts for the Astros to begin his big-league career before hitting the shelf with right-arm fatigue, and he wasn't effective in those three starts, posting a 7.27 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, 11 walks, and 13 strikeouts in only 8 2/3 innings pitched. He only got up to 63 pitches in his rehab outing on Tuesday, too, so he won't be fully stretched out when he returns to Houston's rotation next week. Fantasy managers looking for a streamer should be avoiding Imai, and his control must improve for managers in mixed leagues to consider him off the waiver wire. Imai is rostered in under 50% of Yahoo leagues right now.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) will make another minor-league rehab start sometime next week, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Imai, who is on the 15-day injured list due to right-arm fatigue after his first three starts in the big leagues, didn't look great in his first rehab start on Tuesday at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 27-year-old Japanese hurler allowed five runs on six hits while walking three and striking out two in just two innings pitched for the Hooks. He has been out since April 13, and he could need several more appearances on the farm before the Astros consider activating Imai so that he can return to Houston's starting rotation. It's an understatement to say that Imai has struggled in his first taste of the majors in the United States. There have been rumors that he has had a difficult time transitioning to life in the U.S. First and foremost, Imai must improve his control on the mound, or it's going to be a long first year with Houston. In his first three starts, Imai allowed seven earned runs while walking 11 and striking out 13 in just 8 2/3 innings pitched.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) had a tough go of it in his first minor-league rehab start on Tuesday with Double-A Corpus Christi, allowing five earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out two in his two innings of work. Imai threw a total of 59 pitches in the outing. The 27-year-old is on the 15-day injured list due to right-arm fatigue after just three starts for the Astros in his first year in the big leagues. It definitely is an inauspicious start for the Japanese native, but he'll continue to build up his arm for a return to the Astros' starting rotation at some point in May. Imai will most likely need a couple more rehab starts on the farm before Houston feels comfortable reinserting him into their rotation. In his three starts before landing on the IL, Imai struggled to the tune of a 7.27 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, and 13:11 K:BB in just 8 2/3 frames. He's going to need to improve his control drastically to have any consistent success for fantasy managers. Imai is currently rostered in exactly half of Yahoo leagues.