Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) threw live batting practice Wednesday in the latest step in his recovery from a torn shoulder capsule. France, who hasn't appeared in the majors since April 2024, underwent shoulder surgery last July. The Astros still haven't provided a clear timeline for his return, though they do expect the 30-year-old back sometime this season. France combined for 29 appearances (28 starts) from 2023-24 and recorded back-end production. Over a 161 2/3-inning span, he went 11-9 with a 4.40 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, and 123:59 K:BB.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) has been throwing live batting practice sessions and will continue to do so for the time being. After a mini breakout in 2023, France had difficulty staying healthy last season, ultimately requiring surgery for a capsule tear in his shoulder in July of 2024. Now, just over one year removed from that injury, the 30-year-old is looking to return to the mound and become a starter in the second half of the season. He will have to ramp up to a starter's workload as he continues to build up his arm strength. It is unclear when he will begin his lengthy rehab assignment. France is someone to monitor AL-Only leagues and is expected to return to action after the All-Star break.

Per manager Joe Espada, Houston Astros starting pitcher J.P. France (shoulder) is slated to throw his third live batting practice on Friday. The New Orleans native recently threw a successful session late last week and has had solid progression in his return from right shoulder surgery last July. It will still be some time before France rejoins Houston in some fashion, as he'll need to ramp up a bit over a rehab outing in the minor leagues. Still, it's superb news for him and the team. As a whole, Houston's pitching staff leads the league in strikeouts (734) and is second in cumulative WHIP (1.15). However, their rotation has dealt with a myriad of injuries.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) threw 20 pitches in a live batting practice session last Friday in Florida, which was his second such session since having surgery on his right shoulder last July to fix a torn capsule. France is making progress, but he still has a ways to go before potentially being an option for Houston's starting rotation in the second half of the year. The 30-year-old former 14th-round pick in 2018 out of Mississippi State just was never healthy in his five starts (25 1/3 innings) last year before being shut down, posting a 7.46 ERA and 1.69 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and 12 walks. France was much better in his first year in the big leagues in 2023 with a 3.83 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 24 outings (23 starts), but his 4.66 FIP shows that his surface stats were a bit fortunate. He'll be a big question mark when he returns later this season.

Houston Astros starting pitcher J.P. France (shoulder) has been sidelined since last July, when he had surgery to repair a capsule tear in his right shoulder. He has worked his way up to throwing live batting practice this Friday in West Palm Beach, according to manager Joe Espada. The 30-year-old righty could then head out on a rehab assignment to ramp up with the target to join Houston's rotation after the All-Star break. France went 0-3 in his five starts last season with a 7.46 ERA and 5.53 FIP, but he was much better in 24 games in 2023, when he went 11-5 with a 3.83 ERA and 4.66 FIP as a key part of the rotation. He has never been a high-strikeout producer at the major league level, but he's worth keeping an eye on for your fantasy team in the future since he could be a nice depth pickup if he comes back at full strength.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) underwent surgery on July 1 of last year to fix a torn right shoulder capsule, a procedure that came with a recovery timeline of 12 to 14 months. Monday marked France's final day of throwing at 75 feet, and he will move back to 90 feet on Wednesday. "It's been going good," France said. "I haven't had any setbacks, knock on wood. Every day I throw and there's really no soreness, no pain. Everything's been going good without a hiccup." The former 14th-rounder in 2018 out of Mississippi State had a rough 7.46 ERA in his five starts last year before being sent to the minors and eventually shut down He went 11-6 with a 3.83 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) in 2023, but he'll remain in rehab mode at the team's spring complex in Florida until May, so he will not be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season.

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) underwent right-shoulder surgery to fix a capsule tear on Monday and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. It's been a bad year for France, to say the least. He ended up making only five starts for Houston before getting hurt, going 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA (5.53 FIP) and 1.69 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and 12 walks in 25 1/3 innings of work. France was eventually sent down to Triple-A Sugar Land before going on the seven-day minor-league injured list with his shoulder injury. There's no timetable for the 29-year-old following shoulder surgery, meaning he could be a candidate to open the 2025 campaign on the injured list. France is just one of many Astros starters down for the count in 2024 due to injury.

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.