The Houston Astros placed right-hander Cristian Javier on the injured list Thursday, removing him from postseason eligibility and forcing manager Joe Espada to recalculate his October rotation. Javier has not pitched since September 1. The Yankees, meanwhile, confirmed Aaron Judge will be available for the Wild Card round after the captain missed nine games with a toe issue.
Javier's removal creates a rotation hole Houston cannot easily fill. The 27-year-old posted a 3.89 ERA across 131.1 innings this season and was the presumptive third starter behind Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown. The Astros now enter October with Ronel Blanco—who threw a no-hitter in April but carries a 4.29 ERA since—as their next option. Spencer Arrighetti, a rookie with a 5.04 ERA in 145 innings, is the other internal candidate. Neither profile suggests stability against a Wild Card lineup that could feature Baltimore or Kansas City.
The timing matters. Javier's IL stint began September 19, making him ineligible for any October roster. Houston cannot activate him if the series goes long or if an injury opens a spot. The club did not specify Javier's injury beyond "right forearm discomfort," the same phrase that preceded Tommy John surgery for multiple pitchers this decade. The Astros declined to say whether Javier will undergo an MRI or see Dr. Keith Meister, the team's go-to orthopedist in Dallas. Espada told reporters only that Javier "wasn't ready" and that the decision was "best for the team."
The Yankees' situation is cleaner. Judge returned to the lineup Wednesday and went 1-for-3 with a walk. He has now played in two straight games without incident. The toe injury—a collision with the outfield wall on August 28—cost New York nine games during a stretch where they went 4-5 and lost ground in the AL East. Judge's presence changes the lineup calculus for Aaron Boone, who can now slot Giancarlo Stanton at designated hitter without forcing Anthony Rizzo or Gleyber Torres into uncomfortable defensive assignments. The Yankees face a Wild Card round that could include Tampa Bay, whose pitchers held Judge to a .211 average in 19 at-bats this season.
For Houston, Javier's absence reshapes the postseason payroll structure in a way that matters beyond October. The Astros are already committed to $157 million in salary for 2025, with Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker all entering walk years or arbitration. Javier, who is arbitration-eligible this winter, was projected to earn $4.2 million through the arbitration process. A forearm injury that extends into spring training could depress that figure—or make him a non-tender candidate if Houston decides to allocate dollars elsewhere. General manager Dana Brown has not addressed Javier's long-term status publicly.
The Yankees' clarity on Judge, by contrast, removes the one variable that could have upended their October roster construction. Boone now has 14 days to finalize his Wild Card pitching plan, which will likely involve Gerrit Cole on short rest if the series extends to three games. Judge's return also stabilizes the clubhouse, where his absence created uncertainty around who would hit third and whether Harrison Bader—a defensive replacement in a normal lineup—would need to play every day.
Houston opens the Wild Card round on October 3. The Yankees' opponent and start date remain undecided, though New York is currently positioned as the fifth seed. Javier's absence will not be final until the Astros submit their postseason roster on October 2. By then, the market will know whether Houston pursued an external arm or whether Espada is running a three-deep rotation into a format that punishes shallow staffs.
The takeaway
Houston lost its third starter two weeks before October; New York's $360 million centerpiece is cleared for the Wild Card.
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