McCullers returns to DL with back woes
Lance McCullers Jr. was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday because of back discomfort for the second time in less than two months.
The Astros’ No. 2 starter said it was the “right time” to address the issue that forced him to miss two weeks in June and has since returned.
“Coming off last time (on the DL), that’s where I thought I needed to be,” McCullers said. “That was the case for maybe the first start and a half, and ever since then, I’ve just been trying to get better midweek and trying to kind of grind through the starts.
“I knew that at a time when Colin (McHugh) was still out, and Dallas (Keuchel) was still out … we were thin and I was trying to eat up innings … but at some point, enough is enough.”
McCullers (7-3, 3.92 ERA) is coming off a rough outing in Detroit on Sunday, where he allowed five earned runs on eight hits and was the losing pitcher in a 13-1 rout.
He’s the second Astros pitcher placed on the DL in as many days, joining reliever Will Harris, who is out with right shoulder inflammation.
McCullers’ performance dropped significantly across his last four starts. He gave up a combined 20 earned runs in 182⁄3 innings.
He said he began feeling discomfort again toward the end of his start against the New York Yankees on June 30, his second start since coming off his first disabled list stint.
“I felt my normal self when I came back in Seattle (on June 24),” McCullers said. “I felt fine here against the Yankees. I just think that we thought we had the issue under control and it just kind of came back. … I was definitely being hindered by it.”
Brad Peacock will start in McCullers’ place Friday night against the Blue Jays.
In a corresponding move, the Astros called up just-demoted reliever Michael Feliz from Class AA. They also called up first baseman A.J. Reed to fill the roster spot of outfielder Nori Aoki, who was traded to the Blue Jays.
“I talked to the doctors this morning and we have a better game plan this time around,” McCullers said. “We’re going to take our time and make sure I’m right.”
Aoki experiences mixed emotions
Now former Astros outfielder Nori Aoki said he was surprised to learn he had been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.
Hours before the league’s trade window closed, Aoki, along with minor leaguer Teoscar Hernandez, was dealt to the AL East club in exchange for lefthanded pitcher Francisco Liriano.
“I’ve been keeping up with MLB trade rumors and everything like that. I never thought that I would be included,” Aoki said through an interpreter.
“This is a team that I started spring training with and we started the season looking to go to the postseason and win a championship, so in that sense, I’m disappointed. But on the other hand, I’m excited to go to a new team, and over here I understand that this is commonplace, players being traded, so in that sense I’m looking forward to it.”
The 35-year-old Japanese veteran agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Astros last December after he was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in November.
He appeared in 71 games this season, batting .272 with two home runs and 19 RBIs in 202 at-bats. July was Aoki’s best month. He had a .275 average, four doubles, one triple, eight RBIs and an .862 OPS.
Odds and ends
Colin Moran underwent surgery Monday to repair the facial fractures he suffered July 22 when he fouled a ball off his face in Baltimore. The Astros didn’t provide a timetable for his return. …
The Astros signed righthanded reliever Jumbo Diaz to a minor league deal and assigned him to Class AAA Fresno. Diaz, who is listed at 6-4 and 315 pounds, was recently designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays after posting a 5.70 ERA in 30 innings.