With Houston sitting at 8-15 and desperate for reinforcements, the three names Astros fans are watching most closely on the injured list are Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, and Jeremy Pena.
Here is where each player stands clinically, what their rehabilitation looks like, and when they might realistically return to the field.
Hunter Brown - Grade 2 Right Shoulder Strain
Brown remains the most significant absence on the roster, and his rehab has moved deliberately.
As of April 24, Brown has started his throwing program by playing catch up to 75 feet, a meaningful milestone after being completely shut down from all throwing activity for several weeks following his diagnosis.
From a sports medicine standpoint, the progression from rest to light tossing at 75 feet represents the early-to-mid phase of a structured interval throwing program. At this stage, the focus is on restoring pain-free glenohumeral range of motion, re-establishing rotator cuff neuromuscular control, and gradually loading the shoulder capsule and posterior musculature.
Before returning to mound work, Brown will need to progress through flat-ground throwing at increasing distances, bullpen sessions, and at minimum one or two minor league rehab starts to re-establish pitch count and competitive stress tolerance.
Brown and Astros GM Dana Brown are projecting a return around late May to June, though the pitcher himself is hoping it could come a bit sooner. Realistically, given where his throwing program currently sits, a late May return would require no setbacks and a rapid but safe progression through the remaining rehab phases.
Early June remains the more conservative and clinically sound projection.
Tatsuya Imai - Right Arm Fatigue
Imai’s case is the most multifaceted of the three, involving both a physical and an adjustment component.
Imai has been on the IL due to right arm fatigue since April 12, but threw a bullpen session at Daikin Park on Sunday and is scheduled to make his first minor league rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, April 28.
Arm fatigue without structural damage in a starting pitcher typically points to cumulative soft tissue overload, often in the flexor-pronator mass or the posterior shoulder.
The rehabilitation emphasis centers on load management, mechanical efficiency, and graduated pitch count escalation rather than tissue repair.
Notably, the Astros have also acknowledged a mental and logistical component to Imai’s recovery.
Manager Joe Espada stated that Imai’s strength coach has finally arrived and that the pitcher is in a much better mental place heading into each bullpen session.
Psychological readiness is a genuinely underappreciated variable in pitcher return-to-play protocols, particularly for international players navigating a new environment.
The Astros project Imai’s return in May, and the plan is to ease him back into the rotation after building his arm up further in the minors.
If Tuesday’s rehab start goes cleanly and he logs 4 to 5 innings, a return to Houston’s rotation in the second week of May is achievable.
Jeremy Pena - Grade 1 Right Hamstring Strain
Pena is the closest of the three to a return, and his recent progress is encouraging.
As of April 24, Pena has resumed hitting and was on the field prior to the Yankees game, fielding grounders and throwing to first base, activity that indicates he has cleared the early and intermediate phases of hamstring rehabilitation.
A Grade 1 hamstring strain involves minimal fiber disruption and responds well to a progressive loading program emphasizing eccentric strengthening, dynamic flexibility, and sport-specific movement patterns.
The fact that Pena is fielding and throwing suggests his neuromuscular control and pain-free range of motion are largely restored.
The final hurdle before clearance is demonstrating full-speed running mechanics without compensatory movement patterns, particularly critical for a shortstop whose defensive value hinges on lateral explosion and first-step quickness.
The Astros project a mid-May return for Pena, which aligns well with the typical 4 to 6 week recovery arc for a Grade 1 hamstring strain managed conservatively.
All three players are trending in the right direction. But for a team still 3.5 games out of first in the AL West, every additional week on the IL carries compounding cost.
Follow my blog for ongoing injury and return-to-play coverage throughout the 2026 Houston Astros season.
