Houston Astros starter Cristian Javier experienced an abbreviated outing in his second start of the 2025 season, leaving Sunday’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles at Daikin Park after three innings due to illness.

Javier, who returned to the majors on Aug. 11 following 14 months of recovery from Tommy John surgery, threw 50 pitches, allowing one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts and no walks before Shawn Dubin replaced him in the fourth inning.

Javier’s velocity was noticeably down across the board compared to his season debut against the Boston Red Sox. His four-seam fastball averaged 91.1 mph, 2.4 mph slower than his previous start, and his changeup was 2.7 mph below his season average.

In the third inning, the Orioles loaded the bases with one out, but Javier escaped further damage when Jesus Sanchez made a leaping catch to rob Gunnar Henderson of a potential grand slam. The Orioles’ lone run came on a sacrifice fly by Henderson in that same inning.

Injuries have decimated the Astros’ pitching rotation throughout 2025, but Javier and other returning pitchers have played a critical role as Houston holds a slim 1.5-game lead over the second-place Seattle Mariners in the AL West with less than two months remaining in the regular season.

Javier’s return had been promising: in his season debut against Boston, he allowed three hits and two runs while striking out five over five innings, marking a successful first major league appearance since May 21, 2024.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, the 28-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut in 2020 and has spent his entire career with Houston. He finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 and helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series.

In six MLB seasons, Javier has appeared in 118 games (84 starts), compiling a 34–18 record with a 3.59 ERA. Despite making just nine starts since the start of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, he has been an important contributor in postseason play, recording a 6–2 record with a 2.68 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 43.2 innings over 17 games (six starts).

Although Javier’s early exit on Sunday was a concern, it appears to be an illness-related issue rather than a recurrence of his previous elbow injury.

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