Finally realizing the error of their ways with regards to bringing Brandon Lyon off the disabled list so soon, the Astros placed the scuffling right-hander right back on the DL and recalled Fernando Abad from Oklahoma City, giving the Astros a second left-handed option in the bullpen.
Lyon’s official diagnosis is that of biceps tendinitis, but don’t look for that to stick long as (per Brian McTaggart) he will get a second opinion from Dr. Lewis Yocum. Yocum isn’t the angel of death like Dr. James Andrews is, but he’s pretty close. Given Lyon’s awfulness and the earlier diagnosis of a partially torn rotator cuff, I’d speculate that it’s likely that this visit will reveal some significant damage.
Abad, 25, was 1-4 with a 7.43 earlier this season as one of the key firestarters for the Astros bullpen. Since his demotion, he’s sported a 3.55 ERA for the RedHawks, with 18 strikeouts and just one walk in 12.1 innings. Whether he’ll be able to help the Astros again is an open question, but he likely could not be worse than Lyon was since coming off the DL.