Astros' Lance McCullers: To resume mound work soon
Rotowire
The Astros hope McCullers (forearm/illness) will be ready to throw a bullpen session Tuesday or Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCullers had to be scratched from his last scheduled rehab appearance this past Friday due to a stomach bug. If the right-hander is able to get through a bullpen session in the coming days without issue, he'll resume his rehab assignment this weekend. McCullers had been tracking toward a season debut by late April, but that timeline could be pushed back a bit.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Scratched from rehab start
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) was scratched from his rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday due to an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCullers is currently fighting off a case of the stomach flu and will presumably make his next rehab start as soon as he's feeling better. His next outing is expected to be his final appearance in the minors if all goes well, which puts him on track to make his season debut for the Astros near the end of April.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Could debut in late April
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General manager Dana Brown said Sunday that the Astros' series with the Royals that runs from April 25 through 27 could be a potential target for McCullers' (forearm) season debut, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. "That would be pretty encouraging, but we don't want to rush it," Brown said.
McCullers made the third start of his minor-league rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Sugar Land and delivered his best performance yet; he struck out five over four scoreless innings, yielding just one hit and one walk. He covered 61 pitches in the outing, inducing 13 whiffs while averaging 91.4 miles per hour on his 13 sinkers, 80.5 mph on 13 curveballs and 85.1 mph on 12 sliders, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. All of those velocity readings were a couple ticks below his averages from his last healthy season in 2022, but McCullers noted that it's not an unexpected development, and he's happy overall with how his surgically repaired forearm has been responding coming out of his first three rehab starts. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, McCullers will shift his rehab to Double-A Corpus Christi for his fourth rehab start next weekend. He's expected to reach 75-to-80 pitches in that outing, and if all goes well, he'll be activated from the 15-day injured list to make his 2025 Astros debut during the Kansas City series.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Another rehab start Saturday
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) will make his third rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, MLB.com reports.
McCullers wasn't sharp in his second outing with Double-A Corpus Christi on April 5, though he did build up to 50 pitches. The Astros are shorthanded in their rotation in the absence of Spencer Arrighetti (thumb), so McCullers could be back in the big-league rotation soon with a couple of strong rehab outings.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Walks three in second rehab start
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) covered 1.2 innings in his rehab start Saturday with Double-A Corpus Christi, striking out one batter while allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks.
McCullers made the second start of his rehab assignment after covering two innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on March 30. Though his command and control left much to be desired Saturday, McCullers was still able to build up to 50 pitches after tossing 35 in his previous outing. He'll make his next appearance for Triple-A Sugar Land this Saturday and may require just one additional rehab outing after that before the Astros potentially bring him back from the 15-day injured list. Houston could look to McCullers to fill the opening in the rotation created by the loss of Spencer Arrighetti, who appears headed for an extended absence after fracturing his right thumb Monday.
Astros' Lance McCullers: Second rehab start scheduled
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) will make a rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
McCullers will move down a level after making his first rehab start Sunday at Triple-A Sugar Land, during which he gave up two earned runs over two innings while throwing 35 pitches. The 31-year-old may look to tack on another inning to his workload during his upcoming Double-A start as he works toward appearing in his first MLB game in more than two years.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Goes two frames in first rehab start
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on two hits and one walk across two innings Sunday in a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land.
After tossing a scoreless, 13-pitch inning in his lone Grapefruit League appearance March 18 before opening the season on the 15-day injured list, McCullers increased his workload in his first rehab outing, covering an additional frame and tossing 35 pitches (20 strikes). Since he missed the last two seasons while recovering from June 2023 surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon, McCullers will build up slowly in the minors, but a late April or early May return from the IL could be in the cards if all goes smoothly during his subsequent rehab starts.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: On IL, rehab start on tap
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The Astros placed McCullers (forearm) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.
McCullers hadn't pitched in a game since the 2022 World Series before he finally took the hill late in spring training, throwing a scoreless, 13-pitch inning in a March 18 Grapefruit League outing against the Nationals. The right-hander checked out fine physically coming out of that appearance and then made another 33-pitch appearance in a minor-league game at Astros camp earlier this week. He's now scheduled to report to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday to make his first rehab start, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Given his long layoff, McCullers will likely be stretched out slowly over the course of several minor-league appearances before the Astros consider bringing him off the IL, possibly as soon as late April.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Throws 13 pitches
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McCullers (forearm) threw one inning without allowing a hit or a run in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.
McCullers took the mound for the first time since the 2022 World Series after working through several different arm injuries. He threw 13 pitches as a first step in what will likely remain a lengthy ramp up to return to big-league action. Nevertheless, it was a positive sign of his potential to make an impact with Houston in 2025.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Grapefruit debut set for Tuesday
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that McCullers (forearm) will make his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday against the Nationals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The right-hander touched 94 mph during his most recent live batting practice session and felt fine physically, clearing the way for his spring debut. This will be the first time McCullers has pitched in a game since the 2022 World Series, as he's dealt with numerous arm issues since then. He will begin the year on the injured list but could be ready for a spot in the Astros' rotation relatively early on in the season.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Spring debut as soon as Tuesday
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) could make his Grapefruit League debut as soon as Tuesday against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCullers completed another live batting practice session Wednesday, saying afterward that he felt fine and touched 94 miles per hour with his fastball. The news has been promising on the right-hander this spring as he comes back from two missed seasons due to arm problems. McCullers will begin the season on the injured list, but he could be an option to join the Houston rotation by May 1 or so.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: One more live BP before debut
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Astros manager Joe Espada said that McCullers (forearm) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The upcoming live BP session represents the final hurdle McCullers will need to clear before taking the mound for what would be his first game action since the 2022 World Series. Now 31 years old and no longer an intriguing prospect, the right-hander missed the last two seasons while recovering from June 2023 surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon and remove a bone spur from his right forearm. He had been expected to return to action at some point in 2024, but those plans were tabled after he suffered a setback in his throwing program last summer. McCullers resumed throwing off a mound over the winter and seems to have steered clear of any setbacks since then, leaving the Astros optimistic he'll be able to contribute this season. While he remains on track to open the season on the injured list, the fact that he's on the cusp of pitching in spring games suggests that his lengthy stint on the shelf could finally end early in 2025.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Close to pitching in game
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that McCullers (forearm) is "really, really close" to pitching in a game, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCullers threw another live batting practice session Friday and came out of it well, and it appears the next step could be for him to try things out in a game setting. The right-hander will not be ready to pitch for Houston on Opening Day, but things have been trending in a good direction with his rehab this spring. McCullers hasn't appeared in a major-league game since the 2022 World Series due to multiple arm injuries.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Big step in recovery
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) threw live batting practice to three teammates Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCullers threw a total of 20 pitches and managed to hit 94.7 mph with his fastball. He also mixed in his curveball, sinker and changeup. McCullers still plans to complete at least three more live batting practice sessions, but his stated goal is to appear in a Grapefruit League game.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Cleared for live BP
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) will throw live a live batting practice session Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCullers will face hitters for the first time since he underwent surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur. McCullers has already been ruled out for Opening Day but hopes to make some Grapefruit League appearances this spring. He hasn't appeared in a major-league game since the 2022 World Series due to multiple arm injuries.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Close to facing hitters
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm) will be cleared for live batting practice if he gets through a bullpen session Monday with no issues, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCullers has thrown several recent bullpen sessions without any hiccups and is almost ready to face hitters. The right-hander will not be ready in time for Opening Day, but he hopes to make some Grapefruit League appearances before the schedule runs out. McCullers hasn't appeared in a big-league game since the 2022 World Series due to multiple arm injuries.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Aims for late-camp game appearances
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McCullers (forearm) hopes to pitch in Grapefruit League games toward the end of spring training, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
He would then be assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land after that to begin a rehab assignment. McCullers had surgery in June of 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, and he had to be shut down last July due to arm soreness. However, his recovery has been going well recently, and he began throwing bullpen sessions in January. McCullers could conceivably be ready to pitch for the Astros around May 1, but any timeline for the oft-injured righty is still guesswork.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Will miss Opening Day
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General manager Dana Brown said Saturday that McCullers (forearm) will not be ready for the start of the regular season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
McCullers recently returned to throwing off a mound and still hopes to return early in the year, but it now appears that he will begin the season on the injured list for the third time in a row. The 31-year-old righty hasn't appeared in an MLB game since the 2022 World Series after undergoing surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Throwing off mound again
Rotowire
McCullers (forearm/elbow) has resumed throwing off a mound and is hoping to return early in the 2025 season, MLB.com reports.
McCullers had surgery in June of 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur. After progressing to mound work in May last year, he had his throwing program halted and was ultimately shut down due to soreness in his pitching arm. Testing didn't reveal any structural damage and he's back to throwing off the bump again, although it sounds like it's no given he'll be ready for Opening Day. McCullers last pitched in a major-league game during the 2022 World Series.
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