DETROIT -- Astros reliever Will Harris said he had "good soreness" in his shoulder Wednesday after his rehab appearance with Class A Advanced Buies Creek, in which he threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Yet after being activated Friday from the 10-day disabled list, Harris returned to the DL on Sunday with the same ailment, right shoulder inflammation, ahead of Houston's series finale in Detroit. The DL placement is retroactive to Friday, which means Harris is eligible to return to the Astros as soon as Aug. 8 against the White Sox.
"It just was still painful to throw," said Harris, who is 2-2 this season with a 2.86 ERA in 34 games. "We didn't think that was going to be the case when I got activated on Friday. We thought, 'OK, just normal soreness.' But it didn't quite get better like we thought [it would]."
Harris, who missed 12 games with right shoulder inflammation in his recent DL stint, played catch before Friday's game against the Tigers and felt lingering soreness. When he still didn't feel right Saturday, it was clear he needed extended rest.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch anticipates that Harris will repeat the recovery process he just went through: a few days of rest, a throwing program and a rehab assignment.
Harris, a 2016 All-Star, was initially placed on the DL on July 15 (retroactive to July 11) after making just two relief appearances this month -- one-third of an inning on July 1 and one inning on July 5.
"My starting point now is way further than it was when I went on the DL the last time," he said. "So that's good."
Though he's disappointed in his return to the DL, Harris understands the importance for his long-term usage. When healthy, he expects to be ready to pitch every day, rather than sporadically.
"He's really important to our bullpen structure and how we get to the finish line in games," Hinch said. "Our best bullpen has him pitching in huge situations. He knows that, our team knows that, but it doesn't do him any good to try to get through it unhealthy."
Among American League relievers, Harris is tied for third in holds (17), second in walks per nine innings (1.30) and fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.80). Left-handed reliever Reymin Guduan was recalled from Triple-A Fresno and was in uniform for Sunday's series finale vs. the Tigers at Comerica Park.