Injured Astros Star Takes First Major Step Towards Returning This Season

The Houston Astros have been decimated by injuries throughout the year.

It's shocking they have been able to produce the season they have thus far in the first half of the campaign without multiple starting pitchers, Yordan Alvarez and now Jeremy Pena.

Winning is just what the Astros do, and no matter who is on the roster, the victories keep piling up.

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But when it comes to their outlook in October, they are going to need to get healthy to have a chance to make a deep playoff run.

Houston got some excellent news featuring one of their pitchers who just took an important step in his recovery that could have him trending towards returning at some point this year.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Cristian Javier began a minor league rehab assignment with the Astros' Florida Complex League affiliate on Saturday, which is a crucial moment when it comes to him getting back on the Major League mound in 2025.

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Javier underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, but if everything continues to progress in the right direction without a setback, then the Astros could be getting back an important weapon before the postseason.

Houston shouldn't rely on that, though.

They have seen both Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia get shut down late in campaigns after they ran into some issues before they were cleared to return.

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Still, this is great news for the Astros.

Javier has been an impact pitcher for them for the majority of his tenure in The Show, being an elite arm for them during the 2022 regular season before being a major part of them winning the World Series later that year.

For more Astros news, head over to Astros On SI.