The Astros have placed catcher Humberto Quintero on the 15-day disabled list due to a concussion. Quintero has played in 15 games for the Astros this season and he is 10 for 41 (.244 avg, .537 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI. The Astros have recalled J.R. Towles from AAA ball and they will give him another chance to establish himself as a starting catcher at the major league level. He has played in 43 games for the Astros this season and he is 18 for 120 (.150 avg, .564 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 homers and 14 RBIs. Towles did seem to get it together in AAA ball so it will be interesting to see if he’s made any adjustments or not. Towles played in 19 games in AAA ball this season and he was 17 for 61 (.279 avg, .954 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 5 homers, 11 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Towles immediate future might be decided in the next few weeks as the Astros may pursue a veteran catcher next season either thru free agency or a trade if Towles doesn’t shape up.

The Astros have placed starting 2B Kaz Matsui on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. Matsui has played in 57 games this season for the Astros and he is 61 for 225 (.271 avg, .678 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 1 homer, 18 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Mark Loretta will likely take over as the starting 2B until Matsui is ready to return to action. Loretta has played in 49 games this season for the Astros and he is 33 for 124 (.266 avg, .723 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 16 RBIs. 34-year old lefty swinging David Newhan has been recalled to replace Matsui on the roster. Newhan has played in 2 games for the Astros this season and he is 0 for 1. He has also played in 60 games in AAA ball this season and he is 61 for 198 (.308 avg, .890 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 9 homers, 36 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.

The Astros have placed righty reliever Geoff Geary on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right groin. Geary has pitched in 19 games this season for the Astros and he is 1-1 with a 1.47 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The Astros have recalled 25-year old righty Fernando Nieve to replace Geary in the bullpen. Nieve has pitched in 2 games so far for the Astros this season and he is 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. In 9 games (7 starts) in AAA ball this season, Nieve was 1-3 with a 5.08 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Nieve should do a decent job for the Astros but they will still miss Geary who has been great so far this season.

The Astros have placed lefty starter Wandy Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin. Rodriguez was off to a really good start for the Astros this season. He has started 4 games this season and he is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Rodriguez has really showed nasty stuff this season as he has whiffed 24 batters in only 23.1 innings. The Astros have called up lefty reliever Tim Byrdak to replace Rodriguez on the roster. Byrdak pitched in 7 games in AAA ball this season and he was 0-0 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Byrdak also whiffed 10 batters in only 7.1 innings which shows that he still has good stuff. 27-year old righty Jack Cassel will be recalled from AAA when Rodriguez’ spot in the rotation comes up next week. Cassel has started 3 games in AAA this season and he is 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. This was a bad break for both Rodriguez & the Astros as he was pitching very well this season.

The Astros have placed starting 3B Ty Wigginton on the D.L. with a fractured left thumb. Wigginton has played in 6 games for the Astros this season and he is 5 for 20 (.250 avg, .704 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Geoff Blum has replaced Wigginton in the starting lineup and he’s a solid player but he has nowhere near the power that Wigginton has.