Dallas Keuchel to Go on 10-Day DL with Neck Injury, Will Miss 1 Start

The Houston Astros placed pitcher Dallas Keuchel on the 10-day disabled list Saturday due to a pinched nerve in his neck.

According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the ailment will cause Keuchel to miss one start.

Keuchel is enjoying a resurgent season with a record of 7-0 to go along with an American League-leading 1.84 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 63.2 innings.

Houston will hope the latest issue isn't anywhere near what Keuchel went through in 2016.

The 29-year-old dealt with "major inflammation" in his rotator cuff last season, per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle, which limited him to just 26 starts and 168 innings. He also wasn't effective when he did pitch, finishing with a 9-12 record and a 4.55 ERA. He finally seemed to click in August, when he posted a 3-1 record and 3.10 ERA, but his shoulder injury kept him out the rest of the year.

His struggles were a microcosm of a disappointing season for the Astros.

Keuchel has proved himself as an elite pitcher in the past, though. He won the Cy Young award in 2015 thanks to a 20-8 record, 2.48 ERA and a league-best 1.02 WHIP in 232 innings. He even finished fifth in the AL MVP voting.

He has the talent to be one of the top pitchers in the game, but he will first have to stay healthy.

Lance McCullers Jr., Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers will try to pick up the slack for as long as Keuchel is unavailable, but Houston will need its ace on the field if it wants to remain near the top of the American League.