When a struggling player is placed on the injured list after a rough outing, there tends to be a sense among fans that the trip might be more related to a mental break than a physical ailment.
On the matter of Yoshihisa Hirano, however, there are many reasons to believe that not to be the case. Hirano was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, the team announced Saturday.
Right-hander Joel Payamps was recalled from Triple-A Reno in his place.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Hirano underwent an MRI on Saturday that came back clean, although Hirano will still need a cortisone injection before he can resume throwing.