Cardinals' Josh James: Inks minor-league deal with Cards
Rotowire
James signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Friday.
James has not pitched anywhere since undergoing flexor tendon surgery back in October of 2022, and he hasn't appeared in the majors since 2021. It would appear he's healthy now, and the Cards will take a shot on the former top prospect in hopes he has something left in the tank. James holds a career 4.64 ERA and 158:61 K:BB over 106.2 frames covering parts of four major-league seasons.
The Astros declined to tender James (forearm) a contract for 2023, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Once viewed as a rising star in some fantasy circles, James has battled injury and command issues. Most recently the right-hander underwent surgery on his flexor tendon in October, leaving his status for the spring uncertain. Now a free agent, James will look to showcase himself for teams once healthy.
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Astros' Josh James: Undergoes surgery
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James underwent surgery on his flexor tendon this week, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James has spent the last several months recovering from a lat strain and suffered a setback during his rehab assignment in mid-September due to forearm discomfort. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander will be ready for spring training in 2023 following his procedure.
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Astros' Josh James: Setback during rehab
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James (lat) was pulled from his rehab assignment due to forearm discomfort, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James was in the process of rehabbing a strained lat before this latest issue arose. He was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land before the season began and has been on the 60-day injured list since late June. The specifics and severity of his forearm injury are not known yet, but he's unlikely to pitch again this season.
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Astros' Josh James: Rehabbing at Triple-A
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James (lat) has tossed three scoreless innings while striking out nine and allowing one hit and no walks through his first three rehab appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land.
James was shut down for more than two months with a right lat strain before he started up the assignment Aug. 25. He's been electric across his first three outings, leaving the Astros optimistic that he can make an impact out of the big-league bullpen down the stretch. James previously struck out 100 batters over 61.1 innings in the majors in 2019, but he's struggled with both health and control issues over the subsequent three seasons.
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Astros' Josh James: Placed on 60-day injured list
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James was placed on the 60-day injured list with a right lat strain Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Opening Day, and he posted a lackluster 7.59 ERA and 2.04 WHIP in 21.1 innings over 23 appearances in the minors to begin the year. However, he'll now be sidelined for at least two months after being placed on the 60-day IL. It's not yet clear when the Astros expect James to return.
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Astros' Josh James: Optioned to Triple-A
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James was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James made two relief appearances this spring and allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out one in two innings. He spent most of the 2021 campaign in Sugar Land and posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 18.2 innings across 20 appearances.
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Astros' Josh James: Signs deal without arbitration
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James and the Astros agreed to terms on a one-year, $800,000 deal Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James gets a small raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility despite the fact that he threw just five major-league innings last season. He owns a 6.85 ERA in 22.1 frames over the last two years.
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Astros' Josh James: Sent to Triple-A
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The Astros optioned James to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Houston sent out James to clear room on the 28-man active roster for outfielder Michael Brantley (knee), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. James has made five relief appearances for Houston this season, with all of them coming in September.
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Astros' Josh James: Returns to majors
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James was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Tuesday's game against the Rays, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Ryne Stanek's return from the paternity list last Thursday led to James being sent back to Sugar Land, but he'll rejoin the major-league roster with Kendall Graveman leaving the team to also attend the birth of his child. James has pitched in five games for the Astros this season, allowing three earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight across five innings.
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Astros' Josh James: Sent down Thursday
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James was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James spent just over a week in the major-league bullpen, and he generated a 2.25 ERA and 0.50 WHIP in four innings across four appearances. He'll head back to the minors after Ryne Stanek was reinstated from the paternity list Thursday.
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Astros' Josh James: Rejoins big-league club
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James was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James shifted to the taxi squad after being optioned off the big-league roster Sept. 5, and he'll now rejoin the active roster Wednesday with Michael Brantley (knee) heading to the injured list. The right-hander has pitched in only one game for the Astros this season.
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Astros' Josh James: Demoted to taxi squad
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The Astros optioned James to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday and assigned him to their taxi squad, Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com reports.
James allowed two runs on three hits and a walk Saturday in his first big-league appearance of 2021. The righty figures to get another opportunity with the Astros this month, as injuries or COVID-19 positives will likely arise and create openings in the bullpen.
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Astros' Josh James: Joins Astros
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The Astros activated James from their taxi squad Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The hard-throwing righty hasn't allowed a run in 8.1 innings since joining Triple-A Sugar Land at the beginning of August and has a 13:1 K:BB in his eight appearances. Injuries have prevented James from making a big-league appearance this season, but he finally gets a spot on Houston's roster.
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Astros' Josh James: Reinstated, sent down
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James (hamstring) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James restarted his rehab assignment July 25 and allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five in 2.2 innings across four appearances. The right-hander had been on the injured list since the start of the season, and he'll remain in the minors after the Astros strengthened their bullpen at the trade deadline.
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Astros' Josh James: Restarting rehab assignment
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James (hamstring) will restart his rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.
James began a rehab assignment June 25 and made six appearances, but he was struck by a liner July 16 and went back to Houston to have his hamstring looked at. The right-hander allowed one run on six hits and four walks while striking out six in 6.2 innings prior to his shutdown, and it's not yet clear how many outings he'll require before he's reinstated from the injured list.
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Astros' Josh James: Faces live hitters
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James (hamstring) threw live batting practice Friday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
James was recently struck by a comebacker in the lower back during the fourth game of his rehab assignment and aggravated his hamstring injury in the process. He was recalled from the rehab assignment to be examined by team doctors. The Astros have not declared the next step for James following his 20-pitch session to batters.
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Astros' Josh James: Getting evaluated by doctors
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James (hamstring) returned to Houston to be looked at by the club's medical staff after being hit by a line drive during his July 16 rehab outing, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
James had to exit the outing after just one inning and nine pitches, and he has not pitched since. The club will likely determine his next steps after he's looked at by doctors Tuesday, but for the time being, it seems likely that his activation will be pushed back to at least next week.
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Astros' Josh James: Struck by line drive
Rotowire
James (hamstring) was struck in the upper back by a line drive during the sixth inning of a rehab appearance at Triple-A Sugar Land on July 16.
James stayed in the game to finish off the sixth inning, but he was pulled before the seventh inning after just nine pitches. Houston manager Dusty Baker, who said throwing only nine pitches was not the plan for James, did not have an update on whether he'll be set back after getting hit.
