The injury plague continues to ravage the Houston Astros' pitching rotation, as they placed Cristian Javier on the injured list after an impressive outing by Justin Verlander in his Major League Baseball return.

Houston relegated Javier to the IL due to neck discomfort. He is the sixth Astros starter to spend time on injured reserve, and his condition adds to Houston’s woes as they have won only seven of their first 25 games.

In addition to Javier, Lance McCullers, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, and Framber Valdez are sidelined with injuries. The Astros expect Valdez to return during their upcoming road trip. Meanwhile, McCullers and Garcia won’t return to the mound until after the All-Star Break.

Javier has been one of the few bright spots for the struggling Astros early in the season. He struck out 18 batters and surrendered four earned runs in 23 1/3 innings. In four games this season, the right-handed Dominican pitcher has a 2-0 record, a 1.54 ERA, and a 1.114 WHIP.

Javier has a career record of 32- 17 and a 3.47 ERA. He has struck out 555 batters in 489.2 innings. With him sidelined, the Astros will recall Spencer Arrighetti to take his place. Arrighetti allowed nine earned runs in seven innings in his first two MLB starts.

The Astros will wrap up their three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on April 25 at 2:20 p.m. before starting a two-game stretch against the Colorado Rockies on April 27.

-Lance Fernandez