Astros place pitcher on IL due to elbow injury

The Houston Astros placed left-handed reliever Bennett Sousa on the 15-day injured list before Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, due to left elbow inflammation. His IL assignment is retroactive to Wednesday, with Jayden Murray recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to replace him on the active roster.

The move leaves Houston with 15 players on the injured list, including nine pitchers. Sousa’s latest stint comes after he had already opened the season on the injured list while recovering from an oblique injury suffered on a fielding play during spring training. He was activated on April 25 and appeared in five games, giving up three runs in 3 1/3 innings with an 8.10 ERA.

Sousa last pitched Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, throwing a scoreless inning on eight pitches. That outing was his third appearance in four days before his elbow issue resurfaced. Last season, he also missed the final month due to a low-grade elbow flexor/pronator strain, though he had previously logged a 2.84 ERA in 44 relials appearances as a leverage arm for the Astros.

Murray, 29, rejoins Houston after recording a 6.00 ERA in six innings across four relief appearances earlier this season. He was optioned to Triple-A on May 3 but remains eligible for recall as an IL replacement. Across his career, Murray owns a 3.06 ERA in 13 MLB games, including one start.

The Astros also claimed outfielder Rhylan Thomas off waivers from the Seattle Mariners and optioned him to Sugar Land, while transferring right-hander Hunter Brown to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.