Sidelined Astros Hurler Set For Another Rehab Start

Positive momentum has been hard to come by for Imai, who has endured a bumpy introduction to Major League Baseball after eight seasons spent starring for the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Imai carried a 7.27 ERA over his first three starts with Houston, allowing seven earned runs, seven hits and 11 walks over 8.2 innings while striking out 13. After a rocky MLB debut (four earned runs, three hits and four walks in 2.2 innings), he offered a glimpse of his potential with 5.2 shutout innings as part of an 11-0 win over the Athletics.

In his next start, however, he only managed to get one hitter out while allowing three earned runs and four walks before being pulled in the first inning.

After Imai's brief third outing, he was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 13 with arm fatigue. He would later blame those issues on his struggles to adjust to the "American lifestyle", noting different eating routines, a shorter gap between starts (five days instead of six), a longer overall season, and more difficult travel.

Imai's struggles are understandable for a player adapting to both a new continent and a new style of professional baseball. However, they are far from ideal for an Astros team that is also without Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier as they sport the league's highest ERA.

The three-time NPB all-star has yet to meet the expectations that come with being awarded the club's biggest free agent contract of the offseason (three years, $54 million).

It's possible that Imai turns things around during his next start and begins his road towards being a key, healthy contributor at the major league level. To this point, however, it's seemingly been one setback after another amidst a frustrating start for both him and Houston.