J.P. France Injury: Reaches fourth inning in rehab start

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.

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.