The Houston Astros placed ace Hunter Brown on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a strain in his pitching shoulder, losing one of baseball's best starting pitchers to injury.
Brown last pitched on Tuesday, when he had eight strikeouts over six innings in Houston's victory over the Boston Red Sox.
The Astros did not disclose whether Brown would be sidelined longer than the minimum 15-day IL stint, which is retroactive to April 2. Right-hander Christian Roa was recalled from Triple-A Sugarland in a corresponding roster move.
After some initial struggles early in his career, Brown broke through during the 2024 season. Last season, the right-hander generated a 2.43 ERA in 31 starts, leading the Astros' staff with 6.1 WAR and finishing third in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
With Framber Valdez's departure as a free agent, Brown came into the season as the clear ace of the staff for Houston, which missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016.
Brown, 27, has a 0.84 ERA over his first two starts this season, with 17 strikeouts in 10⅔ innings.
