The Houston Astros placed reserve catcher Humberto Quintero on the 15-day disabled list Saturday -- the same day he was scheduled to have an appendectomy. Quintero was sent to St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, where it was confirmed that he would need to undergo the procedure. "At this moment he's OK," Astros manager Phil Garner said on the team's website. "There are no problems, and there's a possibility he'll be able to go back with us tomorrow." Quintero felt stomach pains on Friday night and it worsened Saturday morning. He went to the hospital in the afternoon and the Astros were left with one catcher for Saturday's game -- a 6-2 win over the Royals. Quintero is expected to need three or four weeks to recover. To replace Quintero on the roster, the Astros purchased the contract of catcher Raul Chavez from Triple-A Round Rock. Chavez batted .203 with three RBI in 19 games with the big league club before being outrighted on June 10.