14 days ago

Tatsuya Imai’s Early Astros Role Could Change If He Heads to the WBC

Imai is in Japan’s designated pitcher pool for WBC, per Chandler Rome. Brown said Houston wouldn’t need him “until after pool play” if Japan calls. GM Dana Brown added Imai will be built up “as normal” in Astros camp, but “if he goes to the WBC, he’d be a reliever.” As a starter, Imai had a 1.92 ERA in 2025.