Tatsuya Imai Fantasy Stats

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.

Houston Astros rookie right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) will make his first minor-league rehab start on Tuesday with Double-A Corpus Christi, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Imai has gotten off to a rough start in the big leagues with the Astros and was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 13 with right-arm fatigue. The good news is that the Japanese native doesn't have any structural damage in his arm. The 27-year-old will be eased back into the Astros' starting rotation at some point in early May after his arm is built up some more in the minors. In his first three starts covering 8 2/3 innings in major-league baseball, Imai allowed seven earned runs on seven hits while walking 11 and striking out 13 batters. Imai is worth holding in deeper-mixed fantasy leagues -- he's rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues -- but fantasy managers may want to play it safe with him upon his return to Houston's starting rotation.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) threw a bullpen session on Friday and "looked good," manager Joe Espada told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Imai's next step will be to start a minor-league rehab assignment. The first-year MLB player tossed 45 pitches during his bullpen on Friday. The 27-year-old Japanese native has had a rude awakening to the big leagues, posting a 7.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP with 13 walks and 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings in his first two starts in the United States before landing on the 15-day injured list on April 13 with right-arm fatigue. Imai is still adjusting to life in the States, and he'll still need at least several rehab starts before the Astros feel comfortable reinserting him into their starting lineup. If the rest of his 2026 season looks anything like the beginning of his tenure with the Astros, fantasy managers could be in for a roller-coaster ride. Imai needs to show better control of his pitches first if he wants to turn things around. He's currently rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) played light catch on the field at Daikin Park before Thursday's contest against the visiting Colorado Rockies with a team trainer nearby, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Imai was put on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right-arm fatigue. The good news is that the first-year MLB player isn't dealing with any structural damage to his arm. The early returns from the 27-year-old through his first three major-league starts weren't great, as he allowed seven earned runs on seven hits while walking 11 and striking out 13 in 8 2/3 innings pitched. Imai will be eligible to return from the IL later this month, but the Astros may take things slowly and not rush him back to the starting rotation, even with the Astros dealing with plenty of early-season injuries to their rotation arms.

Imaging on Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai's right arm came back clean and "positive," according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The Astros will try to increase his arm strength before Imai resumes throwing. The 27-year-old is definitely struggling in his adjustment from Nippon Professional Baseball to Major League Baseball. The Astros placed him on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right-arm fatigue just three starts into his career in the big leagues. And in his first three starts (8 2/3 innings), Imai has struggled, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits while walking 11 and striking out 13. It's certainly not what fantasy managers were envisioning for Imai to begin his Astros tenure in 2026. The good news, though, is that Imai isn't dealing with any structural damage, and it's still early in his first year in MLB. Don't expect a quick return to Houston's starting rotation, though, as the Astros look to build up his arm strength, which will take time.

Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) is going on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right-arm fatigue, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. It's a bad start to Imai's MLB career. The 27-year-old is reportedly going through a "dead-arm" phase, and it remains to be seen if he'll be ready to come off the IL when he's eligible to return later this month. The Japanese hurler only got through one-third of an inning in his most recent start before being sent back to Houston for tests on his right arm. Through his first three starts with the Astros, Imai has disappointed with a 7.27 ERA (4.30 FIP), 2.08 WHIP, and 13:11 K:BB in 8 2/3 innings pitched. Ima's injury is just the latest in a long string of injuries that have decimated the Astros' starting rotation early in the 2026 season, as Hunter Brown (shoulder), Cristian Javier (shoulder), Hayden Wesneski (elbow), Ronel Blanco (elbow), and Randon Walter (elbow) are all on the injured list.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai (arm) headed back to Houston for an examination on his arm. The official word is that Imai is dealing with right arm fatigue. The right-hander was horrible in his latest start, where he walked four batters and allowed earned runs before being pulled after only recording one out. It wouldn't be shocking to see Imai land on the Injured List for a short period of time. The rookie right-hander could become the third Astros starter to land on the IL since Opening Day. This is bad news for the Astros' rotation that is quickly running out of quality depth options to fill into their rotation. Fantasy managers should check back for another update on Imai.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai struggled in his MLB debut on Sunday, allowing three hits, four walks, and four earned runs while striking out four over 2 2/3 innings in his team's 9-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Imai comes to the Astros after a lengthy professional career in Japan, where he largely logged excellent results. Across 163 2/3 innings (24 starts) for the Seibu Lions in 2025, Imai posted a 10-5 record with a 1.92 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 178 strikeouts. While Imai lowered his walk rate to 7% in 2025, he posted double-digit walk rates in each of his first six professional seasons from 2018 through 2023. If his first start in the big leagues is any indication, command and control could be an issue for Imai in 2026. It's too early for fantasy managers to panic after just one start, but Imai will obviously need to pitch better in the weeks to come. His next outing is currently scheduled for Saturday in Sacramento against the Athletics.