HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros placed second baseman Kaz Matsui on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right hamstring on Tuesday.
Matsui was injured running to first base after hitting a grounder in the sixth inning of Houston's 3-2 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday. The Astros purchased the contract of David Newhan from Triple-A Round Rock to take his spot on the roster.
Manager Cecil Cooper said Mark Loretta would likely get most of the starts in place of Matsui. He said Geoff Blum and Ty Wigginton could also fill in at second base.
Cooper said he wasn't sure if Matsui's injury will keep him out past the 15 days.
"We hope that's all it is," he said. "We'll see how things go. We'll just kind of go from day to day."
This is Matsui's second stint on the disabled list this season after he missed the first 16 games recovering from surgery to repair an anal fissure.
He's hitting .271 with 18 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
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