Lat strain shelves Morton
Pitcher Charlie Morton goes on the 10-day DL but will miss time beyond that.
The Astros placed No. 3 starter Charlie Morton on the 10-day disabled list Sunday with a strained right lat muscle.
Morton, who has an extensive injury history, has a 5-3 record and 4.06 ERA in 10 starts. Reliever Jordan Jankowski was recalled from Class AAA to take Morton’s roster spot.
Morton said he will not throw for a week. He will miss at least two starts but likely more.
Mike Fiers, who was demoted to the bullpen Saturday in favor of Brad Peacock, will return to the rotation and start in Morton’s place Tuesday at Minnesota.
Morton allowed two runs in seven innings against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, receiving no decision in a 6-3 Astros loss. He threw a bullpen session Friday, sustaining a typical level of soreness. But after playing catch Saturday, he approached head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall about a persisting “abnormal” amount of discomfort in his right lat, a muscle behind the armpit that wraps around the rib cage.
“I just didn’t feel right,” Morton said before the Astros’ 8-4 victory over the Orioles on Sunday. “I went and got checked out, and it’s a little more serious than we thought. … More severe than we thought. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in terms of the degree of severity. We’re just going to treat it day-today and re-evaluate.”
Various injuries and procedures, including Tommy John surgery in 2012 and two hip surgeries, have sidelined Morton throughout his 10 years in the majors. He has not made 30 starts in any season or surpassed 160 innings since 2011.
Last season, his lone one with the Phillies after seven with the Pirates, he pitched 171⁄3 innings before blowing out his hamstring running to first base after laying down a bunt. Surgery in May 2016 came with a six- to eightmonth recovery timetable.
He has never been on the disabled list for a lat injury.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said of the interruptions to his career. He took a long pause. “My work and my hopes and my goals and all those things,” he said, “all (are to) completely avoid injury.
“But reality sets in. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not even surprised by it. Just roll with the punches kind of thing.”
At 35-16, the Astros are off to the best start in franchise history, but Morton’s absence presents a challenge.
He joins Collin McHugh, who has not pitched this season and isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break because of an elbow impingement, on the shelf.
Pitching depth was a concern exiting spring training.
“It’s being tested,” manager A.J. Hinch said.
Odds and ends
Lance McCullers Jr. finished 3-0 with a 0.99 ERA in 361⁄3 innings in May, making him a strong candidate for AL pitcher of the month. …
Carlos Correa notched his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 on Sunday. After hitting .233 in April, he has hit .372 this month to raise his average to .302. …
Class AA infielder Mott Hyde, who played for the Astros in Grapefruit League games during spring training, was placed on the voluntarily retired list.