Dominguez not in lineup Monday as precaution

HOUSTON -- Astros third baseman Matt Dominguez was given the day off Monday as a precaution. He was hit on the left elbow by a Chris Perez pitch in the ninth inning Sunday and had to be removed from the game.

Dominguez underwent an X-ray Monday which showed no fracture, and that was a huge relief for Dominguez considering he suffered a hairline fracture in the same elbow when he was hit by a pitch on the final day of Spring Training in 2011.

"The elbow's been through a lot, so I'll probably start wearing a pad," Dominguez said. "We'll see what they've got in there. They have stuff to protect me. We'll see."

Dominguez, who's hitting .230 in 61 at-bats this year, was available to pinch-hit and should return to the lineup Tuesday.

"Dominguez is fine," manager Bo Porter said. "I talked to the trainers, and they're going to give him a day. I asked him, and he said he was fine and he can play, but when you take a ball square to the elbow like he took, it's better to be safe than sorry to allow him to get treatment all day."