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MLB notebook: Astros place OF Springer (hamstring) on IL

The Houston Astros put star outfielder George Springer on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, a day after he strained his left hamstring while chasing a foul ball. Springer had missed four games with a stiff lower back, then returned to action Friday in a 4-3 home win over the Boston Red Sox. But as he and two teammates chased a Xander Bogaerts foul ball in the eighth inning, Springer slid so that he wouldn't collide with the wall and grabbed his hamstring. He left the game then, limping off the field. He was 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly on the night. "Going for the ball, giving it as much as I can, and the hamstring locked up," said Springer, who led the American League in homers (17), and RBIs (43) while batting .308 in 48 games going into Saturday's game. --The San Francisco Giants called up outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old made his major league debut after more than 700 games over six-plus seasons in the minors. Yastrzemski started in left field and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a run scored in a 10-4 loss to Arizona. --Dustin Pedroia left his rehab game Friday night because of discomfort, and the Boston Red Sox are bringing him back to the city for the team's medical staff to look at his ailing left knee on Monday. He had two at-bats for Double-A Portland on Friday before he pulled himself out of the game. The second baseman, 35, has played in just nine games for the Red Sox in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. --The Philadelphia Phillies placed right-handed reliever Pat Neshek on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. Neshek, 38, is 0-1 with three saves and a 4.67 ERA in 19 bullpen appearances this season. The move is retroactive to Friday. The Phillies also transferred right-hander David Robertson to the 60-day injured list and called up right-hander J.D. Hammer from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. --The Diamondbacks recalled right-hander Taylor Clarke from Triple-A Reno and designated catcher John Ryan Murphy for assignment. Clarke, 26, was brought up to start Saturday's game at San Francisco and got the win, allowing three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 2.93 ERA and one save in three appearances for Arizona this season. Murphy, 28, is batting just .177 with four homers and seven RBIs in 25 games this season. --The Chicago White Sox placed catcher Welington Castillo on the seven-day concussion list and promoted catcher Seby Zavala from Triple-A Charlotte. Castillo left in the eighth inning of Friday's 11-4 loss in Minnesota after taking two foul tips off his mask. Castillo, 32, is batting just .176 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 26 games this season. --The Los Angeles Angels placed right-hander Matt Harvey on the 10-day injured list due to an upper back strain. The move comes two days after Harvey served up four homers and was hammered for eight runs and seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins. The poor outing leaves the 30-year-old Harvey with a 2-4 record and 7.50 ERA in 10 starts this season. --The Oakland Athletics designated struggling right-hander Fernando Rodney for assignment. Rodney had a 9.42 ERA during 17 appearances this season. Opponents batted .345 against him in 14 1/3 innings. The 42-year-old Rodney ranks 18th in major league history with 325 saves. He is 48-68 with a 3.79 ERA in 913 career appearances since 2002. --Gerry Fraley, a veteran sportswriter who covered the Texas Rangers for three decades, passed away on Saturday morning after a lengthy cancer battle. He was 64. Fraley spent the bulk of his career covering sports for the Dallas Morning News, taking up the Rangers beat in 1989. "He covered this sport with a passion and intensity second to none," a statement from the Rangers read. "He was as thorough as any writer in the game as was evidenced in his numerous contacts with players, coaches, baseball executives and scouts, and umpires." --Field Level Media