The Cleveland Guardians placed right-hander Shawn Armstrong on the 15-day injured list on Sunday because of a right groin strain.
The move was retroactive to Thursday. In a corresponding move, the Guardians recalled right-hander Colin Holderman from Triple-A Columbus.
Armstrong, 35, last pitched on Tuesday, retiring all three batters he faced in an 8-5 home win over the Houston Astros. He warmed up to pitch in Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays when the groin became an issue and he didn’t enter the bottom of the ninth inning as planned as the Guardians won 8-6.
“We’ve made very good progress to today,” Armstrong said on Sunday. “But it’s just not quite good enough with the bullpen that needs an arm for today.”
He is 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA, seven walks and 13 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings over 12 relief appearances after signing a one-year contract with Cleveland in the offseason.
“Very frustrating,” Armstrong said of the groin injury, “just because I felt like stuff was starting to kind of click with velo, movement profiles, that type of stuff over the last two outings, and my body was feeling very consistent. But fortunately, it’s April. It’s not September, so just trying to get back.”
For his career, Armstrong is 16-11 with 17 saves, a 3.83 ERA, 147 walks and 447 strikeouts in 432 innings over 382 regular-season games (18 starts) for eight different teams over 12 seasons since 2015.
He also pitched for Cleveland in 2015-17, making his major league debut after the organization selected him in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of East Carolina.
Holderman, 30, is 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA, two walks and five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings over three relief appearances this season, his first with the Guardians.
For his career, Holderman is 8-11 with three saves, a 4.13 ERA, 77 walks and 161 strikeouts in 165 2/3 innings over 164 regular-season games (all in relief).
