ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is heading to the 10-day disabled list because of a stiff back.

Correa sat out games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and wasn’t in the lineup Thursday night at Tampa Bay. The Astros say he’ll be put on the DL on Friday.

“He feels better, but we just need to do the right thing and get him completely symptom-free and not sore,” Manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s not going to be available, so we’ll move forward and hopefully this is just 10 days and he’ll be activated by next weekend.”

Hinch said by putting Correa on the disabled list Friday, retroactive for three days, there is a possibility the 23-year-old star can be activated July 5 for a weekend series against the Chicago White Sox.

ANGELS: Shohei Ohtani’s elbow injury has healed enough that the two-way star can begin a hitting program.

General Manager Billy Eppler said Thursday that Ohtani underwent an MRI in Los Angeles that showed improvement to his ligament, clearing him to take batting practice in private.

Ohtani was placed on the disabled list with a UCL sprain June 8. He will be re-evaluated by doctors in three weeks.

If Ohtani responds well to batting practice on Thursday and Friday, Eppler said he could face live pitching this weekend.

CUBS: Yu Darvish won’t be rejoining the rotation this weekend after sustaining a setback during a bullpen session on Thursday.

Manager Joe Maddon said the Japanese right-hander felt pain in his right arm.

“It didn’t go well,” Maddon said. “He still felt pain on extension. He wasn’t able to cut it loose.”

Darvish will return to Chicago to be evaluated, and won’t pitch Saturday as scheduled. He’ll be replaced by Tyler Chatwood, who came off the paternity list.

TIGERS: Chris Bosio said Thursday he was fired as the team’s pitching coach for using the word “monkey,” but insists he didn’t say it in a racial or demeaning context.

Bosio told USA Today he used the word while talking about pitcher Daniel Stumpf, who is white. Bosio said Stumpf is nicknamed “Spider Monkey” because of the faces he makes while lifting weights.

Bosio said an African-American clubhouse attendant overheard the conversation. Bosio told USA Today that “the kid thought we were talking about him. He got all upset. He assumed we were talking about him. I said, ‘No, no, no. We’re talking about Stumpf.”‘

“I swear on my mom and dad’s graves, there was nothing else to it,” he told the newspaper.

General Manager Al Avila said Wednesday that Bosio was fired for making insensitive comments to another team employee. Avila declined to offer additional details.

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