HOUSTON, Texas — Right-hander Tatsuya Imai is staying put. The Houston Astros pitcher has decided not to use the opt-out in his contract, which keeps him with the club for 2027 at an $18 million salary.
Imai joined Houston last winter on a three-year deal worth $54 million in base value, with a chance to opt out after each season. He can walk away again after next year if he chooses.
His first year in the majors after eight seasons in Japan did not go as planned. In 23 games, 15 of them starts, he went 6-4 with a 4.93 ERA over 76 2/3 innings, striking out 97 and walking 51. Arm fatigue sent him to the injured list for a month in the first half, and he spent the final two months in the bullpen, mostly in low-pressure innings.
There were bright spots. He worked the first six innings of a combined no-hitter at Texas on May 25, the only no-hitter in the majors this season, and his 28.7 percent strikeout rate ranked among the better marks in baseball. Walks were the problem, at a 15.1 percent rate.
Imai arrived as the first player the Astros ever signed directly out of Japanese professional baseball, and he spoke during the year about adjusting to the bigger baseballs used in the majors, unfamiliar mound conditions and even meal times.
Because he fell short of 80 innings, Imai did not collect the $1 million bonuses tied to 80, 90 and 100 innings. Those carry into next season.
Houston used a club-record 19 starting pitchers in 2026. Its rotation for next year starts with Hunter Brown, with Peter Lambert and Hayden Wesneski behind him, and Mike Burrows, Ronel Blanco and Cristian Javier are other candidates. A new general manager will be tasked with adding more arms this winter.
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