Giants place Jake Peavy on 15-day disabled list with back injury

San Francisco will have to call upon its pitching depth once again. The Giants have placed starter Jake Peavy on the 15-day disabled list with a back strain, and in the corresponding move have recalled catcher Andrew Susac from Triple-A.

Throughout spring training, Peavy had difficulty throwing strikes consistently, and his struggles continued through the start of the regular season. He has allowed eight runs in 7.2 innings over two starts and was scratched prior to making an appearance last week.

MLB.com's Chris Haft notes Peavy believed his back needed some form of treatment after being unable to pitch past the fourth inning in his most recent start against the Diamondbacks. Peavy has not blamed his lack of early success on his injury and was re-examined on Saturday before the decision to place him on the DL was made.

While the Giants have not announced who will replace Peavy in the starting rotation, Ryan Vogelsong and Yusmeiro Ptit can both make spot starts. But the club has a day off Monday and as a result, Chris Heston will likely throw against the Dodgers on Thursday, according to Giants Extra's Andrew Baggarly. Matt Cain has not started playing catch yet following a strained tendon and is therefore not a candidate to temporarily replace Peavy.

An MRI revealed inflammation in Peavy's hip and back, and he continues to suffer from muscle spasms. The MRI has not yet been reviewed, however Baggarly adds Peavy said surgery has not been mentioned as a treatment option.

Peavy was scratched from his second start of the season but was able to avoid a stint on the disabled list for the time being. His back first started to bother him on April 1, according to Baggarly. Peavy also had health issues during the first half of 2014 with Boston, and was 1-9 before being traded to San Francisco.

The Giants' offense has struggled early, and the club plans to use Susac as a second or third catching option.