"I was having my second kid," James explained on a Zoom call with reporters. "A baby girl, Sophia."
Sophia was born on July 9 in South Florida and despite her dad being away from the team for over three months, he says it will have no impact on his ability to be ready when the Astros start the season July 24.
"I really worked my tail off (during the break)," James said. "I put in a lot of work and I'm ready to show it off."
James said he worked out five times a week during the break, which included yoga twice a week. He played catch "pretty much" everyday, and maintained a regular schedule throwing off a mound.
He even faced big league hitters, including six-time all star Paul Goldschmidt. James was vying for a spot in the Astros' rotation before spring training was stopped in March, and he feels well-positioned to earn one of those spots.
"I feel like I'm in a really good spot with my delivery, the way my body feels, the amount of work I've put in," he said. "So I think I'll be ready."
The 27-year old doesn't know when he will face hitters during a workout a Minute Maid Park, but says he's built up to 75-80 pitches and most importantly, his mechanics are sound.
"A lot of people use the verbiage 'stay ready', and for me I knocked that off and I was really more of just getting better," James said. "I don't think (my mechanics) will ever be perfect, but one day at a time I focused on just feeling what I felt in spring training, and even though we didn't have the fans, the atmosphere (during his workouts at home) in my mind I wanted to make it as game-like as possible.
"I had some really good results in those (live batting practice sessions), so I'm really anxious to get back playing cause I feel really good."