Astros Reliever Throws Bullpen, Continues Recovery from Injury

The Houston Astros hope that reliever Phil Maton will be ready to go when his time on the injured list ends later this week.

Houston Astros reliever Phil Maton threw another bullpen session on Monday at Minute Maid Park as he continues to ramp up for a potential return from the injured list.

Per MLB.com, Maton threw 30 pitches during Monday’s session and did not appear to have any issues.

This is the second bullpen session for Maton, who threw one during the Astros’ series with the Mariners last weekend. Before that, he was throwing on flat ground.

The next step for Maton is to throw another bullpen session on Wednesday.

This is another encouraging sign and puts him on the path to be activated from the 15-day injured list when he is eligible to return on Sunday.

The Astros are taxed in their bullpen. On Monday, they sent Parker Mushinski back to Triple-A Sugar Land and recalled Seth Martinez. Mushinski isn’t hurt — the Astros just needed a fresh arm for their four-game series with the Boston Red Sox, which started on Monday.

The Astros recalled Mushinksi to take Maton’s place on the active roster.

Maton took a line drive off his right elbow when he made a relief appearance on Aug. 11 against the Los Angeles Angels. An X-ray showed no structural damage to Maton’s elbow.

Maton has been one of the Astros’ more reliable relievers all season, with a 3-3 record and a 3.04 ERA. He’s thrown in 54 games, throwing 53.1 innings with 58 strikeouts and 21 walks.

But, his performance has taken a downturn of late. In his last 15 appearances he has a 8.18 ERA and a 2-1 record in 11 innings. He has 11 walks and nine strikeouts in that span.

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