Astros reliever Brandon Lyon, who has been out for most of the month with biceps tendinitis and a partial rotator cuff tear following a few fiery implosions in a row, will begin a rehabilitation assignment with AAA Oklahoma City on Sunday. Lyon likely won’t be ready for a week or so following the assignment, given the lack of urgency shown yesterday:
“I was trying to work on some things, get an idea of seeing a hitter up there,” he said. “I had [Angel] Sanchez batting left-handed, so I didn’t take it too seriously. I was just trying to work on throwing to a catcher and working on location, knowing someone isn’t try to kill it. I felt good, and it was a step in the right direction.”
When Lyon comes off the disabled list, he may come back to find that his old closer job is no longer available. Mark Melancon has blown just one save in Lyon’s absence, and has likely established himself as the best reliever in the pen. Whether manager Brad Mills will go with seniority or not is up in the air, but the smart money would likely be on Melancon keeping the job.