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Right-hander Cristian Javier is not the same caliber pitcher he used to be.
Still, the Houston Astros would have preferred to have him as a bullpen option during the postseason.
Unfortunately for the AL West club, they may not have the opportunity to use Javier as a bulk reliever.
According to The Athletic's Chandler Rome, the Astros placed Javier on the 15-day IL with a Grade 2 right groin strain.
In a corresponding move, the Astros selected lefty Josh Hendrickson to replace Javier on the Major League roster.
Javier exited his most recent start on Tuesday after just two innings. He struck out two and walked two on 45 pitches in a 7-0 win against the Seattle Mariners.
Overall, Javier has posted a 5.14 ERA with a 1.460 WHIP while averaging 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 17 appearances.
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He came out of the bullpen for five of those outings.
This will be Javier's second trip to the injured list this season, as he missed most of the first half of the year while dealing with a shoulder strain.
The Astros and Texas Rangers have an identical 78-80 record, but Houston holds the tiebreaker in the race for the AL West title.
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