Overview
- Imai’s Double-A outing for Corpus Christi required 59 pitches to record six outs and included six hits and three walks.
- Manager Joe Espada had set a rough goal of four innings for the tune-up, a threshold Imai did not reach before being pulled early in the third.
- The right-hander has been on the injured list since April 13 with arm fatigue after opening the season with a 7.27 ERA across three MLB starts.
- The Astros are short on starters with Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier also on the IL, so they used reliever Kai-Wei Teng as an opener before Ryan Weiss handled bulk innings in a 5-3 loss at Baltimore.
- Imai signed a three-year, $54 million deal after leaving Japan and has spoken about adjusting to MLB’s different ball and mound as the club manages his build-up.