The Oakland Athletics placed right-hander Rich Harden on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, retroactive to April 3, and recalled right-hander Joey Devine from Triple-A Sacramento.
Harden, 1-0 with an 0.82 ERA in two starts, was bumped from his scheduled start Tuesday with a strained muscle below his right shoulder blade. Oakland hoped Harden would be healthy in time to face Cleveland on Saturday, but he was still sore after throwing from flat ground before Wednesday’s game.
That forced the Athletics to put him on the disabled list for the sixth time in the past four years.
“He’s just not going to be ready,” manager Bob Geren said.
Harden first felt sore while throwing a side session after Oakland returned from a season-opening series in Japan. He was able to pitch five scoreless innings against Boston on April 2, but the pain persisted. An MRI on Sunday revealed the injury.
The 26-year-old Harden was limited to seven games for Oakland last season because of shoulder injuries.
Geren said the Athletics will shut Harden down for an undetermined number of days before letting him try to throw again.