Astros make tough decision on struggling veteran arm

Right-hander JP France’s four-year run with the Houston Astros has come to an end, as the team has decided to move on from him, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported Thursday.

France spent most of the 2026 season with Triple-A Sugar Land. He was called up early in the season when injuries to Tatsuya Imai, Hunter Brown, and Cristian Javier depleted Houston’s pitching staff. Across three appearances, he logged 6 2/3 innings, allowing six earned runs while issuing five walks and recording four strikeouts. He was designated for assignment after those outings and cleared waivers.

The 31-year-old compiled a 3.72 ERA over 36 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season, with 28 of his 29 appearances coming out of the bullpen. However, his 14.8% walk rate remained a huge concern, continuing a trend of declining command that has followed him throughout his major league career.

France also experimented with his pitch mix during his short major league stint, throwing his curveball 28.2% of the time, more than any other pitch. In previous seasons, he relied primarily on his four-seam fastball and cutter, which again became his primary offerings during his Triple-A appearances.

France debuted with the Astros in 2023, making 23 starts and producing a 3.83 ERA across more than 136 innings. Since then, his workload has dropped drastically, as he has pitched just over 25 innings in each of the last three seasons. Across 172-plus career MLB innings, France owns a 4.49 ERA with 132 strikeouts.

Now a free agent, France may have to settle for a minor league deal while working to regain the command needed for another major league chance.

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