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Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier had his best start of the season on Thursday, going six scoreless innings in an 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. Javier allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high eight. The 27-year-old got 15 whiffs on 39 swings, including five on his slider, six on his changeup, and four on his fastball, indicating he had everything working in this one. He lowered his ERA to 3.23 and his WHIP to 1.24 with the solid start. Although things haven't been easy for Javier this season, he is worth rostering in fantasy because of his ability to have outings like this one.
Houston Astros outfielder Joey Loperfido went 1-for-3 with his first major league homer in an 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. Loperfido also scored a run and drove in two. The 25-year-old has enjoyed modest success in his young career so far, slashing .324/.378/.441 with a homer and a steal in 34 at-bats. He hasn't been playing every day, though, and the pending return of Chas McCormick might make playing time even tougher to come by. He doesn't need to be added in standard leagues unless something changes with his playing time.
Houston Astros right-hander Luis Garcia (elbow) threw another bullpen session on Wednesday as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery that he had in May of 2023. Garcia started throwing bullpens in April and is taking a slow progression to eventually go out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The expectation is that he will be able to rejoin Houston's starting rotation at some point in the middle of the season. The 27-year-old will mostly likely not be activated from the injured list until the second half of the season after the All-Star break in mid-July. When healthy, Garcia has been quite intriguing for fantasy managers because of his ability to create plenty of swings and misses. However, given his long layoff, you should temper expectations for him in 2024 as he returns from Tommy John surgery.
Houston Astros infielder Zach Dezenzo (wrist), the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was limited in major-league camp during spring training with a wrist injury and remains on a slow rehab plan. Dezenzo appeared in 31 games last year at High-A Asheville and 63 games for Double-A Corpus Christi, where he hit .257 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI as a third baseman. The 24-year-old opened the year on Corpus Christi's seven-day injured list. Despite the power he displayed at Double-A last year, Dezenzo also struck out nearly 30 percent of the time. He has above-average raw power from the right side of the plate that could allow him to hit 30-plus home runs over a full season. Dezenzo's primary goal right now is just getting healthy, though.
Houston Astros shortstop Brice Matthews (back), the team's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was placed on the seven-day injured list on May 7 at High-A Asheville with lower-back tightness. Matthews, the team's first-round pick last year, was hitting just .229/.364/.286 with two doubles in 35 games for the Tourists before getting hurt. The 22-year-old has not played since late April after being taken with the 28th overall pick in 2023. Matthews stands at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds and has plenty of power, enough to eventually be a 20-25-homer guy at the next level. He's an impressive athlete who also played quarterback in his senior season in high school, but his pull-heavy tendencies and high strikeout rate could be an issue as he advances higher up the Astros' minor-league system.