2026 Stats
W-L
2-2
ERA
6.17
WHIP
1.50
K
23
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Imai is looking to become the latest in a growing group of Japanese starting pitchers to successfully make the jump from NPB to MLB. He had an outstanding 2025 season for the Saitama Seibu Lions, with career bests in both ERA (1.92) and WHIP (0.89). NPB is in a dead-ball era right now, with league-wide ERA dropping to 3.01 last year, so those figures are a little less dominant than they may seem, but they came with career bests in both K% (27.8%) and BB% (7.0%). That latter is particularly notable, as Imai struggled significantly with control early in his career and had never previously produced a BB% better than 9.8%. Imai is undersized at 5-foot-11, but he has decent fastball velocity (94.8 mph), a five-pitch mix and a deceptive, low-slot delivery. If the command gains stick around, he should be able to get big-league hitters out, though don't expect dominance on the same level as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who had three straight seasons with an ERA south of 1.70 before making the leap. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Astros in January of 2026. Contract includes $18.67 million player options for 2027 and 2028. Salaries for 2027 and 2028 escalate by $1 million with 80, 90 and 100 innings pitched in 2026 and 2027.
Logs six frames in no-hitter
Imai (2-2) earned the win Monday, allowing no hits and four walks over six scoreless innings against Texas. He struck out two.
Analysis
Imai totaled just six whiffs and matched a season high with four walks, but he kept the Texas lineup at bay through 97 pitches (57 strikes) before departing after six innings. Steven Okert and Alimber Santa handled the final three frames to complete the first no-hitter of the 2026 season. While the no-hitter is an incredible accomplishment for both Imai and Houston, simply turning in an effective outing was also significant for the southpaw, who has struggled mightily during his first MLB campaign. Despite Monday's gem, Imai still owns a 6.17 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 23:18 K:BB across 23.1 innings (six starts). He'll look to build off the performance next time out, which is tentatively scheduled for Sunday against Milwaukee.
Imai totaled just six whiffs and matched a season high with four walks, but he kept the Texas lineup at bay through 97 pitches (57 strikes) before departing after six innings. Steven Okert and Alimber Santa handled the final three frames to complete the first no-hitter of the 2026 season. While the no-hitter is an incredible accomplishment for both Imai and Houston, simply turning in an effective outing was also significant for the southpaw, who has struggled mightily during his first MLB campaign. Despite Monday's gem, Imai still owns a 6.17 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 23:18 K:BB across 23.1 innings (six starts). He'll look to build off the performance next time out, which is tentatively scheduled for Sunday against Milwaukee.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
76
Last 10 Games
76
Last 5 Games
76
How many pitches does Tatsuya Imai generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Tatsuya Imai generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-19%
BAA vs RHP
2026
-19%
BAA vs RHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .227 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 3 | |||
| Since 2024vs Right | .184 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 1 | |||
| 2026vs Left | .227 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 3 | |||
| 2026vs Right | .184 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 1 | |||
| 2025vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-76%
ERA on Road
2026
-76%
ERA on Road
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 13.50 | 2.25 | 6.2 | 9.5 | 9.5 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | 3.24 | 1.20 | 16.2 | 8.6 | 5.9 | ||||
| 2026Home | 13.50 | 2.25 | 6.2 | 9.5 | 9.5 | ||||
| 2026Away | 3.24 | 1.20 | 16.2 | 8.6 | 5.9 | ||||
| 2025Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2025Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2024Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2024Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Tatsuya Imai compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
1.28K/9
8.9BB/9
6.9HR/9
1.5Fastball
94.8 mphERA
6.17WHIP
1.50BABIP
.233GB/FB
1.82Left On Base
64.6%Exit Velocity
81.4 mphBarrels/BBE
8.2%Spin Rate
2161 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
30.6%Swinging Strike
12.3%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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More Fantasy News
Hurt by long ball in loss
Imai (1-2) took the loss Monday against the Twins, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks with five strikeouts across 4.2 innings.
Analysis
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Takes loss in return
Imai (1-1) allowed six runs on five hits, three walks and two hit batsmen while striking out three over four innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Mariners.
Analysis
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Back from IL
The Astros reinstated Imai (arm) from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Julia Morales of Space City Home Network reports.
Analysis
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Rejoining rotation Tuesday
Imai (arm) will be reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Next start will be in majors
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Tuesday that Imai (arm) will rejoin the rotation next week versus the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Injury concern after Friday's start
Brian McTaggart of MLB.com relays that Imai travelled back to Houston on Saturday and could be dealing with an injury.
Analysis
Imai recorded just one out against the Mariners on Friday, when he allowed three runs on one hit, four walks and a hit batsman. He may have picked up an injury in the process, which McTaggart believes is why Imai went back to Houston to undergo tests by medical staff, though the Astros have yet to make an official announcement. Imai has tossed just 8.2 innings across his first three major-league starts, allowing seven runs on seven hits and 11 walks while striking out 13 batters in that span.
Imai recorded just one out against the Mariners on Friday, when he allowed three runs on one hit, four walks and a hit batsman. He may have picked up an injury in the process, which McTaggart believes is why Imai went back to Houston to undergo tests by medical staff, though the Astros have yet to make an official announcement. Imai has tossed just 8.2 innings across his first three major-league starts, allowing seven runs on seven hits and 11 walks while striking out 13 batters in that span.