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May 16, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier (53) delivers a pitch during the fourth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Minute Maid Park. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Astros Decide to Start Cristian Javier in Home Opener Against Red Sox

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Houston Astros will welcome home former third baseman and Boston Red Sox slugger Alex Bregman this homestand. He won’t be the only one.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier, who has been out since last year after Tommy John surgery, is ready to return to the team’s starting rotation. The Astros decided when he would make his first start after their road trip ended in New York on Sunday.

Per Space City Home Network’s Julia Morales, Javier will start Monday’s opener against the Boston Red Sox. It will be his first Major League start since May 21 of last year against the Los Angeles Angels, which is when he suffered the elbow injury.

With the start, he will have recovered from the procedure after approximately 14 months. The Astros will push back Spencer Arrighetti to Tuesday and Hunter Brown to Wednesday, giving both an extra day of rest.

Cristian Javier’s Injury Issues

Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Before his elbow injury, the 28-year-old had avoided injuries at the Major League level since his debut in 2020. He made 12 starts in the 60-game COVID season of 2020. After that, he made at least 30 starts in each of the next three seasons as part of the Astros’ rotation.

He is 33-18 with a 3.59 ERA for his career. He was a part of the Astros’ 2022 World Series championship team.

Cristian Javier’s Injury Rehab

Cristian Javier final line in rehab start tonight:

3.2 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 4 BB | 6 K

He was up to 93.8 MPH and generated 11 whiffs. #Astros pic.twitter.com/jp5Z0a2Q1r
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) August 6, 2025

Javier made his fifth injury rehab start on Tuesday as he threw 77 pitches, with 43 of those strikes. He only pitched 3.2 innings, as he struggled with command and allowed four walks. He only gave up two hits and one run (earned) as he struck out six. The run Javier allowed came on an RBI single by Bryce Eldridge, who is the Giants’ No. 1 overall prospect.

Notably, Javier faced former Astros prospect Drew Gilbert. He was traded to the New York Mets as part of the Justin Verlander deal in 2023. Gilbert ended up with the Giants at the trade deadline in a deal for pitcher Tyler Rogers. He was promoted and made his Major League debut with the Giants on Friday.

In four previous rehab games, Javier was 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA. He struck out nine and walked 11 in 10.1 innings. Those starts included one with the Florida Complex League Astros and one with Double-A Corpus Christi.

Other Injured Astros Pitchers

Two other long-injured Astros starters are making their way back on injury rehab assignments. Luis Garcia threw on Thursday for Sugar Land and pitched four innings, giving up three hits and no walks. He also struck out seven. He threw 59 pitches, with 37 strikes. It was his first seven-strikeout game at any level since 2023.

J.P France is also at Sugar Land. He started on Friday and threw 3.2 innings, a high for a rehab game so far. He threw 63 pitches, but only 32 were strikes. That led to three walks. He also struck out three. He limited the River Cats to two runs on two hits before left the game.