The Houston Astros had a plan to roll out one of the more underrated starting pitching rotations in Major League Baseball for the 2026 season, but injuries quickly showed how flawed the plan was. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Tatsuya Imai hit the injured list way sooner than the front office would have wanted, but it's now the reality they live with. Mike Burrows and Lance McCullers Jr. are the only two starters who remain in the rotation from the opening series. Timelines for the return of all three players mentioned earlier have been disclosed. Among them, free agent addition Imai appears to be the closest to returning to Houston. Imai started in three games but struggled before landing on the injured list due to right arm fatigue. Joe Espada Reveals Next Step for Imai Houston Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai (right) looks on as his interpreter Ryo Takagi (left) speaks to manager Joe Espada (center) during a spring training workout.…