Tatsuya Imai was one of the most exciting additions of the offseason, if not the most exciting. So far, he hasn't done much.
So, where does the blame need to be placed?
Imai himself has reportedly mentioned the difficulties he has faced adjusting to life in the United States in all aspects, including where the team eats. He has also mentioned the feel of the mound, saying it was too hard, and that the cold weather affected his ability to pitch. These are the kinds of adjustments that take time, but at what point are they just excuses?
One of the real issues has been command. In his most recent outing, he threw only 46 of 80 pitches for strikes while relying almost exclusively on his fastball and slider with no splitters or changeups in the mix. When a pitcher is that predictable, opposing hitters will take advantage every time.
His 2026 numbers tell the story: through seven starts he owns a 9.24 ERA, has walked 20 batters in 32.0 innings and has struggled to put hitters away consistently, per MLB.
Yes, this is a big adjustment going from Japan to Major League Baseball, but after a few months, we still have not seen a standout performance from Imai. Dana Brown doesn't seem to be worried, but the numbers suggest maybe he should be. Imai has great potential, and maybe he just needs more time to adjust.
Even though Imai had a rough first outing back after being on the injured list due to arm fatigue, he is still set to keep his next start. The Astros are clearly committed to giving him every opportunity to figure it out.
If Imai doesn't start to deliver soon, some of the other pitchers who have risen up due to injury like Arrighetti, Lambert, McCullers and Burrows could easily start taking his rotation spot.