Astros reliever sidelined by back stiffness

Tony Sipp’s back stiffness sidelined him Sunday, but the Astros don’t consider it an issue that will affect the struggling left-handed reliever’s status for the opening day roster.

“Not at this point. I don’t think so,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think it’s kind of standard, end-of-camp back stiffness. It hasn’t been indicated to me that it’s anything more than day to day.”

After being scratched from his scheduled relief appearance Saturday, he was held out again Sunday. Hinch said he was hopeful Sipp would be available to pitch Monday night. The pitcher’s name was listed with a question mark next to it on the team’s master pitching schedules for Sunday, Monday and today.

Sipp has pitched poorly this spring, having allowed three runs on eight hits and five walks in five Grapefruit League innings and requiring 38 pitches to record four outs in a recent minor-league outing. Unless he improves, the Astros are poised to enter the season without a reliable left-hander in the bullpen for a second consecutive year.

Guaranteed $6 million this season in the second of the three-year deal he signed in Dec. 2015, the 33-year-old Sipp is coming off a career-worst season in which he had a 4.95 ERA in 43⅔ innings, his fewest since 2013.

His spring struggles render it likely right-hander Chris Devenski begins the season as the Astros’ top bullpen option against left-handed hitters.

Notes: Charlie Morton is scheduled to pitch six or seven innings and throw around 90 pitches in his minor-league outing Wednesday.

The Astros traded minor league catcher Tyler Heineman to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday for a player to be named later or cash. Heineman, 25, was the Astros’ eighth-round draft pick in 2012. He spent last season in Class AAA, where he batted .259 with a .696 OPS in 239 at-bats, and wouldn’t have found much playing time behind Juan Centeno and Max Stassi if assigned to Fresno again this season.

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