Tatsuya Imai’s career with the Houston Astros has so far consisted of a bad start, a good start and a start that landed him on the 15-day IL with arm fatigue. That might not be what the Astros had in mind when they guaranteed him $54 million out of Japan.
Now sidelined until at least late April, the right-hander spoke to reporters via interpreter on Tuesday and has some rather interesting things to say when discussing his arm fatigue. Per The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, Imai admitted having trouble adjusting to the American lifestyle in baseball and outside of baseball.
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When asked for an example, Imai reportedly pointed to when and where the players eat compared to how teams in Japan operate.
It’s unclear how eating in the Astros clubhouse can cause excess arm fatigue. It’s also quite possible something is being lost in translation here as well.
This isn’t the first time Imai has pointed to something surprising after a disappointing development. After his last start against the Seattle Mariners — in which he walked four out of seven batters and got only one out — he complained that the mound at T-Mobile Park was unusually hard and he wasn’t used to pitching in cooler temperatures compared to Japan.
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He also spoke of adjusting to the MLB baseball and mound slope after getting roughed up in spring training.
Tatsuya Imai has had some issues since coming to MLB.
(Jack Compton via Getty Images)
That’s a long list of issues for a player to have two-and-a-half weeks into his MLB career. There are, of course, adjustments that every player needs to make while moving from Japan to the U.S., but this is also stuff they should be aware of while considering teams and preparing accordingly.
The biggest adjustment for Japanese pitchers is usually the schedule, where Nippon Professional Baseball starters usually pitch once a week while MLB arms are asked to go out every five days. The Astros have so prevented Imai from having to pitch on less than five days rest.
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Imai is on a contract that guarantees him $54 million through the 2028 season, though he can also opt out after 2026 or 2027.
As much as he’s struggled, his injury was still bad news for a Houston organization that has already seen fellow starting pitchers Hunter Brown (shoulder strain) and Cristian Javier (shoulder strain) hit the IL this season. It’s unclear when any of these pitchers will return, which isn’t ideal considering the Astros have lost eight straight games and are in last place in the AL West with a 6-11 record.
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