Dana Brown's 'positive' Tatsuya Imai update won’t have Astros fans finding any clear answers

The Houston Astros placed Tatsuya Imai on the IL earlier this month with the catch-all diagnosis of "arm fatigue", but the impression was that the Astros would provide a more definitive update. That was attempted by general manager Dana Brown over the weekend, but in doing so, more questions have surfaced.

Brown revealed that the Astros haven't found anything that would explain his arm fatigue and that there's nothing that should be slowing him down. If we had stopped there, the impression would be that Imai has resumed throwing bullpen sessions and is on his way back to the big-league club. Unfortunately, Brown didn't stop there and revealed the team isn't sure when the 27-year-old will return to throwing.

Impressively, in one update, Brown managed to give two vastly different responses. If Imai isn't injured and the Astros' training staff (trusting them can be a risk) has found nothing that should slow him down, then why does Brown not know when he will resume throwing off a mound?

Astros fans should be worried after confusing Tatsuya Imai update

It's been a strange turn of events for Imai since the regular season started. He made three starts for the Astros during spring training, tossing six scoreless innings while striking out seven. He only issued one walk, and there was no reason to believe that something was off. Yet, once the season began, his command went out the window. He's walked 11 of the 44 batters he's faced across three starts, and he's sitting with an ERA of 7.27 on the season.

It's certainly possible that arm fatigue has suddenly derailed his development with the Astros, but there's been anxiety growing over the Astros' big-ticket addition. Beyond the injury scare, Imai has expressed difficulty in adjusting to things stateside, both on and off the field. It does make you wonder if the Astros are going back to the drawing board with Imai and his development, and that is why a timeline for his return has yet to be revealed.

The Astros' season isn't on the brink of collapse; it's collapsing. It's early enough that Houston turning things around can't be ruled out, but that scenario feels like one that will need to have Imai healthy and effective in the starting rotation. Without those two things, there's going to be a cap to just how good the Astros can be, assuming their season can be spared at all.

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