Back in the 2018 draft, the Astros selected a pitcher who beat the odds of a late-round pick and went on to make meaningful contributions at the MLB level. That pitcher is right-hander J.P. France. France was drafted older than most at 23 years old after spending a few years at Tulane and a season at Mississippi State.
France went on to put together several strong minor league seasons, highlighted by a breakout 2021 campaign in which he recorded 157 strikeouts over 114 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. After another impressive year in 2022, France finally got the call-up to the Astros in 2023 and didn’t disappoint. He started 23 games (24 total appearances) and posted a 3.83 ERA over 136.1 innings, proving himself to be a capable MLB arm.
France opened the 2024 season with Houston, but after five starts, he was optioned to Triple-A. Shortly after, he was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury, and in July, he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum. The procedure and rehab process typically take over a year to fully recover.
After reaching that level of success at the big league level, the injury news was especially tough to process.
“Yeah it was definitely tough,” France said. “The whole grind of finding out [I] needed surgery, the type of surgery, just the fact that I was able to come back last year and end with the squad up there, felt like it put me in a good spot going into this Spring Training.”
While the initial diagnosis and recovery process were difficult, the real challenge came once France returned to the mound.
“It was very hard because when I was doing my rehab up here and then when I got optioned after my rehab stint, I was struggling man,” France said. “The whole rehab process wasn’t that bad, it was as seamless as we could have wanted it but the hardest part was getting back into game speed and getting back into that high intent with hitters in there.
“I mean, you get live ABs but that’s completely different than what a game is so that was probably the hardest stretch for me,” France said. “I mean, there was a stretch of like four to five weeks where I was down there, talking to people, I thought I was done. I just couldn’t throw strikes.”
Fortunately for France, and other pitchers in similar situations, the Astros’ pitching coaches helped him regain his form. He appeared in five minor league rehab games before moving to Triple-A, where he pitched in four more. Eventually, France earned a call back to Houston and finished the season strong, allowing just one run over four innings across two games.
“It was just a little bit of a mechanical tweak that we needed to do so this past off-season, I just really focused on that,” France said. “I hammered lifts this off season, threw a ton off the mound trying to get that stride length back and I think that’s what really helped me go into this Spring Training.”
France carried the momentum from his off-season program into Spring Training, performing well with 13 strikeouts over 11.2 innings while allowing just five runs, resulting in a 3.86 ERA. He generated plenty of swings and misses with a six-pitch mix, and his velocity was nearly back to pre-injury levels.
“I feel like I did everything I could this Spring Training to put me in a good spot,” France said. “I knew it was going to be a tough shot breaking camp this year with the whole DFA situation, but I felt like I went out there and did everything I could do to put me in a good spot.”
In January 2026, France was designated for assignment, meaning he was removed from the 40-man roster, a common move during a roster crunch. Fortunately, he went unclaimed on waivers and was reassigned to Triple-A.
At the time, he was still working his way back. Now healthy and coming off a strong Spring Training, France has positioned himself for another opportunity with Houston.
“From what I know, everything the Astros expected, or wanted, me to do, I did,” France said. “I think it was just a numbers game. Right now, it’s just a matter of going out there, getting outs, doing my job, and waiting.”
France is currently pitching out of the bullpen in a long-relief, multi-inning role, a position he expects to take on if called up again, which makes sense given the Astros’ current logjam of starters.
From a late-round pick to minor league and major league success, followed by shoulder surgery, France has experienced plenty of highs and lows. Now, putting together another strong stretch in the minors could earn him another opportunity with Houston in 2026.
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