(SportsRadio 610) -- Astros centerfielder Myles Straw is out of the lineup, dealing with sickness from the COVID-19 vaccine, manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday.
Chas McCormick will Straw in center field and at the top of the Astros' batting order.
Straw has struggled early in the season, his first an every day starter. Straw went 0-for-4 in Tuesday night's loss to the Colorado Rockies and is hitless in his last eight at-bats. He is batting .200 on the season.
There have also been some troubles in the field for Straw. He's made a pair of bad defensive plays recently, one happening in Tuesday's loss.
Baker said in retrospect, Straw probably should not have played due to some adverse effects from the COVID-19 vaccination.
"When I look back, we didn't know if Straw was going to be able to play (Tuesday) because he was feeling sick from the shot," Baker said. "He said 'I'm fine' but in essence, when I look back ... These guys are wanting to play, but this ain't hero time yet.
"I don't know if that ball he didn't catch in center field had anything to do with it, but I know he wasn't feeling (well). We didn't even know if he was going to be able to come to the ballpark. So I just think in this cold weather, giving him another day off with another big series coming up (against the Angels), we've got to get him right."
Straw isn't the only Astros player feeling the effects of the vaccine. Lance McCullers Jr. started a game last week despite feeling side effects and was held from his otherwise scheduled start against the Rockies on Tuesday. He will pitch again Sunday against the Angels.
Rookie Taylor Jones, who was added to the injured list Wednesday, is also feeling side effects from the vaccine, as well as some of the Astros' coaches, Baker said.
The Astros are working toward a goal of 85 percent vaccination, which would loosen some of Major League Baseball's restrictions meant for health and safety.
Five players were placed on the injured list last week because of the protocols, though four of them have returned.
Second baseman Jose Altuve has yet to clear protocols to rejoin the team, which has lost eight of the last nine games.
