A native of Hollywood, FL, the hard-throwing righthander made his debut with the Astros late in the 2018 season. After seeking to win a job in the starting rotation, James was moved to the bullpen for 2019. In 55 games as an Astro, James has authored a 7-1 career mark with a 4.06 ERA and one save.

He could develop into a starting pitcher or possibly a closer but he first needs to harness his 2019 walk rate (5.1 BB/9) without hurting his strikeout rate (14.7 K/9).