Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Astros Announce Roster Move After Trade With Blue Jays

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 7:25 AM ET

Houston Astros fans knew it’d be a bit longer before seeing starting pitcher Cristian Javier on a major-league mound again.

That doesn’t mean Tuesday’s roster moves aren’t an unfortunate reminder of what the club is currently missing.

The Astros moved Javier, a key piece of their 2022 and 2023 rotations, to the 60-day injured list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Houston needed the roster spot after trading pitching prospect Edinson Batista to the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Nick Robertson.

Javier had elbow surgery last June and likely won’t return until July. The 28-year-old went 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA over seven starts before the injury.

Astros fans are forever grateful for Javier, who went 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA and 3.6 bWAR in 30 games (25 starts) during the team’s 2022 World Series run. He especially stepped up in the postseason, allowing a single run and striking out 16 across 12.2 innings.

Although Javier’s ERA jumped to 4.56 in 2023, he nonetheless started 31 games for the AL West champions. However, Javier’s 2023 season is likely best remembered for failing to make it out of the first inning in Houston’s Game 7 ALCS loss to the Texas Rangers.

Javier is 33-18 with a 3.59 ERA over 116 games (82 starts) since debuting in 2020.

As for Robertson, the Astros should get their first look at the 2019 seventh-round pick in the coming days. Robertson, who made his MLB debut in 2023, owns a 5.30 ERA across 27 games for four teams.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: