France cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Sugar Land, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

France will still receive an invitation to spring training, but he will have to pitch his way back onto the Astros' 40-man roster after missing the vast majority of 2025 recovering from shoulder surgery.

France was designated for assignment by the Astros on Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

France missed most of the 2025 season while recovering from a torn right shoulder capsule. He returned to throw 4.0 innings out of the bullpen, but he'll now have to battle for a roster spot during spring training.

The Astros recalled France from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

France allowed one run over five innings in his last start at Sugar Land. He had pitched in relief in his three appearances prior to that, and the Astros plan to deploy him as a multi-inning reliever.

The Astros are expected to recall France from Triple-A Sugar Land during their series in Toronto that runs through Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

France's last appearance with Sugar Land was a start, but his three outings prior to that came out of the bullpen, and he's expected to fill a multi-inning relief role with Houston. The right-hander missed the first half of this season while recovering from shoulder surgery and holds a 6.38 ERA and 23:20 K:BB over 24 innings during his time with Sugar Land.

The Astros activated France (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

France has completed his rehab from shoulder surgery, but the Astros have elected to keep him at Sugar Land where he's been on a rehab assignment. The righty will provide rotation depth in the minors.

France (shoulder) struck out seven and allowed three earned runs on four hits and four walks across four innings in his rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander has now made five rehab starts across stops with three different affiliates and has been gradually increasing his workload. He built up to 77 pitches Thursday and probably needs just one more rehab outing to get himself stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload, but France likely hasn't performed well enough to garner serious consideration for a spot in Houston's rotation once he's activated from the 60-day injured list. After undergoing shoulder surgery last July, France has struggled to regain his control thus far during his rehab assignment, as he's posted a 15:13 K:BB while hitting two batters and uncorking a wild pitch over 13 innings. France has a minor-league option remaining, so the Astros could have him remain with Sugar Land once his 30-day rehab window comes to a close.

France (shoulder) struck out three batters and surrendered two earned runs on two hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in his rehab start Friday for Triple-A Sugar Land.

EDGE Analysis

For the first time over his four rehab starts, France reached the fourth inning while building up to 63 pitches. While working his way back from last summer's surgery to address a right shoulder capsule tear, France has struggled to regain control of his offerings. He's recorded more walks (nine) than strikeouts (eight) over the first nine innings of his rehab assignment and has also hit two batters. France will likely need just one or two more rehab outings to get stretched out enough to handle a typical starter's workload, but given the poor form he's displayed on the farm thus far, the Astros may not be eager to open up a spot for him in the big-league rotation once he's activated from the injured list.

France (shoulder) allowed four earned runs on two hits and four walks over two innings in his rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Sugar Land. He also hit a batter.

EDGE Analysis

The 30-year-old right-hander moved up to the Triple-A level for the third start of his rehab assignment after previous stops in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and at Double-A Corpus Christi. He pushed his pitch count up to 49 on Saturday, but that was about the only positive takeaway on the day for France, who threw just 22 strikes and failed to record a punchout. France will continue to get stretched out as a starter while he completes his recovery from July 2024 right shoulder surgery, but Houston may not have a rotation spot available for him by the time his 30-day rehab window comes to a close in late August.

France (shoulder) is scheduled to make the third start of his rehab assignment later this week at Triple-A Sugar Land, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After covering 1.1 innings in his first rehab start July 21 in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, France moved up to Double-A Corpus Christi for his most recent outing Sunday, when he allowed three earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over two innings. The right-hander will likely continue to increase his innings and pitch counts over at least two more rehab outings as he gets stretched back out after undergoing surgery last July to repair a torn right shoulder capsule. France has a minor-league option remaining, so the Astros could keep him at Sugar Land once his rehab assignment ends and he gets activated from the 60-day injured list.

France (shoulder) threw 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two in a Florida Complex League rehab start Monday.

EDGE Analysis

France has slowly ramped up his throwing intensity, most recently throwing live batting practice in mid-July. He's been sidelined the entire 2025 season, so he's likely to have a lengthy rehab stint. An exact timeline for his return has yet to be established, but France should debut at some point late in the season.