ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves placed struggling right-hander Bartolo Colon on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday with a strain in his left side.
The move came one day after Colon allowed eight runs in 3 2/3 innings in an 11-4 loss to Philadelphia. Following the game, the 44-year-old Colon said, “Physically and mentally I still feel good.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker told a different story while discussing the move. Snitker said Colon has received treatment “for a while” for the oblique problem. He said he doesn’t believe the injury is serious.
“I don’t think it’s a huge issue, but I kind of feel like there’s something going on that’s not allowing him to perform the way he’s capable,” Snitker said. “We just figured it’s good to back off the stress and try to get him right. Hopefully everything clears up to where he can start doing what he’s capable of doing.”
Snitker said this was a time “you have to make a decision to protect a player from himself.” He described Colon and other veterans as “warriors” who “have little things going on and they don’t want to back off.”
Colon (2-7) has the highest ERA in the majors among qualified pitchers, at 7.78. He has failed to pitch more than 5 2/3 innings in eight straight starts, the longest streak of his career.
Colon has allowed five or more runs in six of his 12 starts.
“My entire career I’ve never had a start to a season that has gone this this way,” Colon said after Monday night’s game. “That’s baseball. I have to keep going and get out of it.”
Snitker said he hopes Colon can return to the rotation after a short stay on the DL. The manager did not rule out moving Colon to the bullpen.
Colon said Monday night he’d accept any role.
Colon was an All-Star with the Mets in 2016, when he was 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA. Control issues have played a major role in Colon’s 2017 struggles. After walking only 32 batters in 191 2/3 innings with the Mets, he has issued 17 walks in 59 innings this season.
The Braves recalled right-hander Jason Hursh from Double-A Mississippi to fill Colon’s roster spot. Hursh was 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA in 20 games with Triple-A Gwinnett and Mississippi and is expected to work out of the Braves’ bullpen.
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