Earlier this month the Houston Astros got a huge boost when Cristian Javier returned from the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery last May. However, on Sunday we got a reminder that just because a player is back from injury doesn’t mean that they’re automatically back to their pre-injury level, as Javier only lasted three innings against the Baltimore Orioles before leaving the game with an illness.
While we don’t know the full extent of the illness since Javier didn’t talk after the game, it’s fair to assume that part of the reason for it was Jaiver having to try to pitch a starter’s workload, which is an honest reason for feeling gassed.