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A Houston Astros right-hander has joined the IL, making him another pitcher injured to start the year.

The Houston Astros rotation adds another injury as Cristian Javier was scratched from Sunday’s start against the Washington Nationals due to neck discomfort. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported the news.

In his replacement, the Astros started Hunter Brown. The right-hander still struggled a bit, allowing another three earned runs in Sunday’s loss.

He looked to be getting back on track after a disappointing 2023 season that saw him post the highest ERA of his career by more than a run. His 4.56 ERA and 1.27 WHIP the worst he’s performed since being called up in 2020.

Through four games this season, the Dominican Republic native has been as good as ever for Houston. He currently has a 1.54 ERA in 23 1/3 innings pitched.

With Javier being put on the 15-day injured list, a move for a starting pitcher has to be in the cards for the front office. According to Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle, Spencer Arrighetti is being recalled in the meantime.

The pitching staff has already struggled, and losing one of the better arms in the rotation would only make that issue worse. Hopefully, it’s just a small thing and the training staff is being cautious for 15 days.

It’s uncertain the severity of his neck discomfort, but with the start of the season the Astros have had, adding any injury on top of that would be a brutal hit.

The team sits at 7-17, their worst start in just under a decade.