Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) is dealing with a shoulder injury that will sideline him "a while," according to a person familiar with his situation. Shoulder inflammation delayed France's building in spring training, but he recovered in time to make the team's Opening Day roster. He had a 7.46 ERA in five big-league starts before he was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on April 25. France walked four batters and gave up three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his only start for Sugar Land. The 29-year-old is now on the seven-day injured list in the minors after suffering a setback with his shoulder. It's a hit to an already thinned Astros rotation, although the club is getting Cristian Javier (neck) back this weekend. France's injury should offer both Hunter Brown and rookie Spencer Arrighetti more security in the big-league rotation.

Houston Astros starter J.P. France was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday evening ahead of the team's trip to Mexico City. France has struggled to the tune of a 7.46 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 0-3 record so far this season. His demotion opens up a roster spot for Framber Valdez (elbow), who is set to return for Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. It is unclear how the rest of the Astros rotation will shake out, but it looks like rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti will stick in the majors for the time being. France can be dropped in all formats.

Houston Astros starting pitcher J.P. France (shoulder) will take the mound for his spring debut on Saturday. Astros manager Joe Espada mentioned that France is expected to throw roughly 50 pitches during this outing. The right-hander is behind the rest of the starters but still has plenty of time to get ready in time for Opening Day. There's a decent chance that France begins the season in the rotation with Justin Verlander (shoulder) sidelined right now.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder), who threw two innings in a minor-league game on Monday, could make his first Grapefruit League start this weekend, according to manager Joe Espada. France has recovered nicely from right-shoulder inflammation that he was dealing with earlier in spring training, and the team remains optimistic that he'll be ready by Opening Day on March 28. The 28-year-old was relied on heavily for the Astros in his rookie season in 2023 due to injuries to the rest of their starting staff, and he stepped up nicely by going 11-6 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 47 walks and 101 strikeouts in 136 1/3 innings over 24 outings (23 starts). However, France almost had an 8.00 ERA in his last six appearances, and his fantasy ceiling is low because of his lack of swing-and-miss stuff.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said on Tuesday that he is confident in the team's current pitching depth despite Justin Verlander (shoulder) starting the season on the injured list. He stated that the back of the rotation will comprise Jose Urquidy and J.P. France (shoulder). Urquidy managed just 63 innings pitched last season before missing time with right shoulder discomfort, but he has pitched five scoreless innings with four strikeouts to start his spring. France is currently dealing with right shoulder inflammation but is on track for Opening Day and pitched well last season in 23 starts. Both pitchers offer little strikeout upside but could be worth a look at the end of deeper points league drafts at this time.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) will face hitters in live batting practice in camp on Wednesday and is on target to begin the 2024 regular season in the starting rotation. France has been working his way back from right-shoulder inflammation in spring training and should have enough time to get stretched out for the start of the regular season. It's good news for the Astros rotation, as they won't have three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander (shoulder) ready to go for Opening Day. In his first taste of the majors in 2023, France was solid, going 11-6 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 47 walks and 101 strikeouts in 24 outings (23 starts) during the regular season. However, he was hit hard towards the end of the year and doesn't miss quite as many bats as fantasy managers would hope.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) said he threw a little off the mound on Wednesday and it went well. France was limited to flat-ground throwing during the first week of camp due to right-shoulder inflammation. It appears that the 28-year-old starter is making some progress, but he's not going to be available to pitch in Grapefruit League games for a while. But as long as he doesn't have any setbacks with his right shoulder, he still has a chance to be ready for Opening Day. France made his major-league debut with the 'Stros in May of last year and really impressed initially before limping to a 7.94 ERA in his last six outings. Walks were an issue for him in the minors, and his strikeout rate left a lot to be desired in his rookie campaign. If France is healthy and has a rotation spot in Houston in 2024, he'll probably be inconsistent for those in mixed leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) is dealing with shoulder inflammation at the start of spring training. General manager Dana Brown said France is playing catch and "if he was shut down it would be more concerning." No pitcher ideally wants to already be injured as he reports to camp, but it's still early, and the 28-year-old could still be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season as long as he doesn't encounter any setbacks along the way. If healthy, France should have a spot in the team's Opening Day rotation, especially if veteran Justin Verlander (shoulder) isn't ready to go. He made his big-league debut in 2023 and was solid for the 'Stros, posting a 3.83 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 47 walks and 101 strikeouts in 136 1/3 frames over 24 outings (23 starts). However, he finished on a bad note and doesn't miss many bats.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France intimated that he's adding a new pitch this offseason, but he wants to keep it "on the low down" before eventually debuting it in spring training. France was forced into starting-rotation duty in 2023 due to all of Houston's injuries and finished with 158 1/3 innings, including the playoffs, after never going over 114 innings in his first four minor-league seasons. Fatigue played a part late in the year, as opponents hit slugged .494 with an .855 OPS against him over the final two months of the season. The Astros might have to lean on France in their starting rotation early on, but when all of their starters are healthy, he could be relegated to more of a swing role for Houston. The 28-year-old won't have mixed-league fantasy value unless he's cemented in the team's rotation, but a lack of swing-and-miss stuff also limits his upside.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said the team is wrestling with a couple of pitchers -- J.P. France and Jose Urquidy -- for the Game 4 start of the American League Division Series in Minnesota against the Twins on Wednesday. France had a rough second half of the season, but overall he was solid for Houston with an 11-6 record, 3.83 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 136 1/3 innings over 24 appearances (23 starts). Urquidy was much more inconsistent (5.29 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with only 45 strikeouts in 63 innings) and missed a big chunk of the regular season due to injury. The 28-year-old right-hander pitched in only 16 games (10 starts) all year. France is the more likely choice and the more intriguing DFS option.

Houston Astros starting pitcher J.P. France has been scratched ahead of his scheduled start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. The team hasn't given a reason as to why France has been pulled from this start. Hopefully, it's only a minor issue, but there should be more information soon. In the meantime, Jose Urquidy will take the ball versus the D-Backs on Friday night. Urquidy has struggled this season, so he won't be an ideal streaming option for this game.

Houston Astros rookie left-hander J.P. France is the team's probable starting pitcher for this Saturday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. France was temporarily demoted to the bullpen recently after the team acquired Justin Verlander from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, and his last start came on July 31. Since then, he's made only one appearance on Aug. 6, tossing 3 1/3 innings while allowing an unearned run while walking three and striking out four. The 28-year-old southpaw will temporarily return to the starting rotation and will be a streamer to look at in a decent matchup against the struggling Halos. France has been strong in his first big-league season, but keep in mind he has a 4.15 FIP and is only striking out 6.4 hitters per nine innings in 95 frames over 16 appearances (15 starts).

Houston Astros pitcher J.P. France has been outstanding as a starter through his first 15 starts this season. Despite that, the Astros have decided to temporarily move him to the bullpen. The plan is for France to come out to relieve Jose Urquidy during his start on Sunday. After that, it sounds like the Astros want to use a six-man rotation for the stretch run of the season. That is going to mean less starts for France, but at least he'll still have fantasy value as a starter. Fantasy managers shouldn't panic and hope that France moves back to the rotation after his relief outing on Sunday.

Houston Astros pitcher J.P. France is looking to avoid regression on Thursday when he takes the mound on the road against the Oakland Athletics. The 28-year-old rookie has pitched to a quality 3.31 ERA across 12 starts on the season but his peripheral numbers spell regression moving forward. The right-hander also sports a 4.65 FIP and a 4.80 SIERA in his 70 2/3 innings of work while boasting a subpar 16.9% K%. France struck out Triple-A hitters at a hefty 33.8% clip prior to his big-league promotion in 19 1/3 innings this season but has yet to see his strikeout stuff translate into the big leagues. Despite regression looming, he has a nice matchup on tap against an A's offense that is tied for 28th with a .288 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.

Houston Astros starting pitcher J.P. France is scheduled for Friday's start to take on Andrew Abbott and the Cincinnati Reds. The right-hander made his Major League debut in early May and is in the midst of a solid rookie campaign. Through seven starts, France owns a 3.54 ERA with a pair of victories over 40.2 innings. However, he's running a 1.28 WHIP and a 4.42 xFIP, thanks to a meager 20.5% strikeout rate. Fantasy managers can ignore France in shallow leagues, and even in deeper formats, his production will be limited going forward.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France turned in 3 2/3 innings of six-run ball after the Chicago Cubs got to him early on Wednesday. France allowed nine hits, three home runs, and struck out two batters. This outing bumped his season ERA to 4.11, despite an encouraging start to his major league career. Prior to Wednesday's start in Houston, France had allowed just one run over 11 2/3 innings while striking out eight batters. He showed good command of his pitches, but he simply didn't have his stuff on Wednesday. He owns an 18.2% K rate along with a 4.5% walk rate and a .146 opponent batting average. The Astros are hoping that this was a "welcome to the majors" moment for France as he vies for a permanent spot in the Astros rotation.

Houston Astros starting pitcher J.P. France has been recalled to make the start against the Seattle Mariners on Friday. The 28-year-old was called up to help fill the void with Luis Garcia (elbow) and Jose Urquidy (shoulder) both sidelined. France has been off to a solid start in the minors this season. He holds a 2.33 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 26/11 K/BB ratio through five appearances (three starts) in 2023. Hopefully, he'll be able to carry that momentum into the big leagues.

The Houston Astros are calling up right-handed hurler J.P. France on Friday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. The 28-year-old has never pitched in the big leagues but has impressed in Triple-A this season, posting a 2.33 ERA, 33.8% strikeout rate and 1.03 WHIP over five games and three starts. The club has two spots open in its rotation after Luis Garcia (elbow) and Jose Urquidy (shoulder) both landed on the injured list in recent days, but it isn't clear whether the team will use France as a starter. If he is, fantasy managers looking for an under-the-radar arm for their rotation can take a shot on him and hope he can take his momentum into the majors.