MINNEAPOLIS – The Astros placed right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day IL Tuesday due to right shoulder soreness.
McCullers was scratched from his scheduled start against the Twins on Tuesday night. RHP Jason Alexander, who was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land earlier in the week, got the start in McCullers’ place.
“This has been going on for a while,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s been pitching through it. Usually with that post-start soreness, he's able to just kind of work through it, throw a bullpen, has enough time to recover – but this week hasn’t been quite like that.”
McCullers flew back to Houston on Tuesday for further evaluation and treatment. Espada said he didn’t expect the 32-year-old to miss more than “a few starts.”