Hamstring strain sends Marisnick to DL
Astros will rely on Rasmus, who returns from bereavement list
SEATTLE -- The Astros placed outfielder Jake Marisnick on the 15-day disabled list prior to Friday's game against the Mariners with a left hamstring strain, an injury he suffered running down the first-base line late in Thursday's game in Denver.
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"It was pretty sore last night and I got up this morning and it was still kind of bothering me," Marisnick said. "It's something it's better to get taken care of than to go out and set back it back even farther."
Outfielder Colby Rasmus, who was away from the team for three games while attending the funeral of his grandmother, was removed from the bereavement list and joined the club in Seattle. Marisnick was getting most of the starts in center and was hitting .245 with five homers and 20 RBIs.
"It's unfortunate," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "We knew pretty early on the plane last night it was not feeling well. It's unfortunate to lose him for a minimum of two weeks. … A lower extremity injury by an outfielder is too much to overcome. He's getting some treatment and will be down for two weeks. Fortunately for us, having Rasmus come back from his family funeral, we're replacing him with a really talented outfielder. But losing Jake hurts."
The Astros are also dealing with a hamstring injury to second baseman Jose Altuve, but he's day to day. Hinch said Marisnick's strength test on the hamstring indicated a more severe strain than what Altuve is dealing with.
"Some of the range-of-motion strength tests, soft tissue, things like that they did with him, showed some swelling and things we needed to address right away rather than try to nurse him through a couple of days off," Hinch said.
George Springer, who came up as a center fielder, slid over to center from right field Friday and will split time in center with Rasmus when he's not playing right field. Domingo Santana, who came in when Rasmus left the game, remains on the roster and started in right field Friday.
"We're on a run here where we've got four of the next six games against lefties and that naturally sets up well for Santana," Hinch said. "He came up with the big [homer Thursday] versus a righty. He's got some playing time. The better he plays, the easier it is to leave him in."