Astros place Brian McCann on the DL, recall Tim Federowicz

A lot of things have gone right for the Houston Astros the last couple of years. They are loaded with young talent, especially on the position player side with Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, George Springer....the list goes on and on. They have a fortified the rotation with outstanding veterans such as Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole to compliment Dallas Keuchel. It has certainly helped that the team has resurrected Charlie Morton’s career as well.

All of this has led to the Astros being among the best teams in the league and one of the favorites to win the World Series with good reason. However, no team is immune to the injury bug and it looks like the did get bit.

Brian McCann has been one of the league’s best catchers for a long time with stints with the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and more recently the Astros. He has had a tough year so far in Houston at the plate with a .219/.313/.351 line in 2018 good for an 89 wRC+. However, he has long been considered one of the best managers of a pitching staff behind the plate and has a long track record of success at the plate in the majors.

However, time catches up with us all and McCann is currently 34 years old and playing catcher is not easy on the body. The DL stint is stated for knee soreness and that is hardly surprising and could just be a way to give McCann some much needed time off to get healthy and help him last through the season.

To replace him, the Astros are recalling journeyman Tim Federowicz from the minor leagues. Federowicz has 111 major league games under his belt, but is no spring chicken either at the age of 30. He has posted a .337/.407/.584 in Triple-A this season and holds a career .196/.245/.313 line in the major leagues.