Astros Announce Cristian Javier News After Leaving Orioles Game

Astros Announce Cristian Javier News After Leaving Orioles Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Houston Astros are entering a critical stretch, holding a slim 1.5-game lead in the AL West over the second-place Seattle Mariners with just under two months left in the regular season.

The Astros’ pitching rotation has been decimated by injuries all year, but they’ve begun to get healthy in the second half—most recently with Cristian Javier returning from Tommy John surgery and making his season debut this past Monday against the Boston Red Sox.

Javier has had a successful tenure with the Astros, finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 and posting a 3.59 ERA across 117 appearances throughout his six-year career.

Astros' Cristian Javier Exits Early Against Orioles

During his second start back on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, Javier was lifted from the game after just three innings and 50 total pitches. His velocity was noticeably down from his first start against Boston, prompting concern among Houston fans.

Moments later, the team announced, “Cristian Javier left today's game due to illness."

Cristian Javier left today's game due to illness.

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 17, 2025

Javier Seemingly Avoids Big Setback

Although Javier was forced to leave his start early, this is good news for Houston as it appears he’s avoided a setback to his arm. His status will be monitored moving forward, whether he misses his next start or makes a full recovery.

The 28-year-old right-hander has proven the ability to rise on the biggest stage, making his availability very important in a potential deep postseason run. In 17 postseason games (six total starts), Javier has a 6–2 record, 2.68 ERA, and 60 strikeouts across 43.2 innings pitched.

Javier’s performance and ability to recover from Tommy John surgery will be closely monitored, especially with his entry into unrestricted free agency looming after the 2027 season.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.