McCullers (forearm) was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to March 27.
Astros GM Dana Brown said earlier this week he wasn't sure if McCullers would begin the season on the 60-day IL, but the club is apparently content to put him on the 15-day IL for now. The right-hander is dealing with a low-grade forearm strain and isn't expected to be ready for game action until May, at the earliest.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Could begin year on 60-day IL
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said Tuesday that he was unsure if McCullers (forearm) would begin the year on the 60-day injured list, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The Astros are going to have to make some roster moves in order to get both Cesar Salazar and Corey Julks on the Opening Day roster, as both are not currently on the 40-man at this point. McCullers is dealing with a low-grade strain and isn't expected to be ready until May at the earliest, and if the club believes it will be closer to June, it could put the right-hander on the 60-day IL to open space. Managers shouldn't expect to see McCullers making starts for Houston in the month of April.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Says he has low-grade strain
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McCullers revealed Tuesday that he's dealing with a "strain of the forearm muscle, very low grade," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCullers added that doctors "were hesitant to even call it a strain." While a bit comforting that the right-hander's strain is minor, it's nonetheless worrisome that he's dealing with it again this spring after it bothered him for much of last season and during the playoffs in 2021. McCullers will play catch again at low intensity Wednesday as he's being ramped back up slowly. It seems a safe bet that he'll miss at least the first month or so of the season.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Throws again Monday
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McCullers (forearm) threw in the batting cage Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Manager Dusty Baker said Monday that McCullers was once again throwing, his second throwing session in three days as he works back from the muscle strain he suffered in his right forearm last month. The right-hander is expected to miss the first couple weeks of the season, but is he keeps progressing, it's reasonable to expect him to return to the mound by the end of April. McCullers has struggled with the injury bug over the past couple seasons, only appearing in eight games in 2022 after nursing a forearm injury he sustained in the 2021 playoffs.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Starts up throwing program
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McCullers (forearm) resumed playing catch Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCullers threw off flat ground approximately 30 times in what marked his first throwing activity since a Feb. 14 bullpen session in which he experienced arm soreness. He was later diagnosed with a small muscle strain in his right forearm, and after being shut down from throwing for the past three weeks, he won't be on track to open the season with the Astros. The fact that McCullers is now playing catch again can be viewed as a positive sign, however, and if he continues to avoid setbacks in what will likely be a month-long buildup program, he could be ready to slot back into the Houston rotation at some point in the second half of April.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Still not throwing
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McCullers (forearm) has yet to resume throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
It's been three weeks since McCullers suffered a right forearm strain while throwing a bullpen session. The Astros quickly ruled the right-hander out for Opening Day after the injury, so it's not terribly surprising that he hasn't been cleared to resume throwing yet. Given McCullers' history of arm issues -- which includes a similar injury that he had last season -- the Astros will exercise the utmost caution here.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Not playing catch yet
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Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters Sunday that McCullers (forearm) hasn't resumed playing catch yet, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCullers has been diagnosed with a small muscle strain in his right forearm and has already been ruled out for Opening Day. The right-hander is hopeful he can reach 150 innings in the 2023 campaign, but he's a very risky option for fantasy purposes as there's no clear timetable for a return.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Won't be ready for Opening Day
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McCullers (forearm) said Wednesday that he won't be ready to pitch at the start of the regular season after he underwent an MRI on Tuesday that revealed a "small muscle strain," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Fortunately for McCullers, his MRI showed no structural damage to his forearm/elbow, but he'll still be shut down for at least the next couple of weeks on account of the muscle strain. The right-hander still believes that he'll be able to reach 150 innings this season, but his delayed start in making his 2023 debut means that he'll likely need to avoid any further setbacks with the elbow in addition to any other injury concerns in the months to come. With the depature of Justin Verlander this offseason via free agency, the depth of the Astros' rotation will be tested early in the campaign, though Houston has plenty of talented young arms to turn to in McCullers' stead. Hunter Brown is the most likely candidate to replace McCullers in the starting rotation early in the campaign, having produced a 0.89 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 22 punchouts over 20.1 innings in seven appearances (including two starts) in his first major-league action last season. A clearer timeline for McCullers' season debut should come once he resumes throwing and starts facing hitters again, something that could happen late in spring training.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Temporarily shut down
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McCullers (forearm) has been temporarily shut down from throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Arm troubles limited McCullers to just eight starts last season, and while he doesn't seem to have a specific diagnosis beyond being "a little sore" at the moment, the fact that he's been shut down isn't encouraging. There's still plenty of time for this to turn out to be nothing more than a minor blip in McCullers' preparation for Opening Day, but he doesn't have the health track record to support a particularly optimistic outlook.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Dealing with arm soreness
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McCullers' right arm is "a little sore" following a bullpen session Tuesday, Astros manager Dusty Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle on Friday.
Baker didn't divulge additional details other than to say "it's the same thing" McCullers is dealing with, which would seem to indicate it's the same forearm injury the pitcher battled through for most of 2022. While Baker doesn't seem concerned at this point in time, it's obviously not an ideal start to McCullers' camp.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Surrenders five homers
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McCullers pitched 4.1 innings and took the loss during Tuesday's 7-0 defeat to the Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series, allowing seven runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five.
Bryce Harper started the home-run parade in the first inning with a 402-foot blast, and the Phillies did not let up against McCullers for the entire night. The 29-year-old righty allowed just four homers across 47.2 innings during the regular season, but the Phillies tagged him for five in Game 3. The five homers represent the most that McCullers has ever allowed in a single game, and the seven earned runs were his most surrendered in a start since Aug, 5, 2020. If he doesn't get a chance to avenge himself, Tuesday's start may leave McCullers with a sour taste in his mouth as the season comes to a close -- his postseason ERA jumped from 2.45 to 4.17 after his struggles during Game 3 in Philadelphia.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Start pushed to Tuesday
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McCullers will not make his scheduled start Monday night in Game 3 of the World Series against the Phillies, as the game has been postponed due to rain.
The Astros quickly announced that McCullers will simply have his start pushed back by a day, as Game 3 is now scheduled for Tuesday evening. The team then expects to turn to Cristian Javier in Game 4, Justin Verlander in Game 5 and Framber Valdez in Game 6, if needed.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Gets ball for Game 3
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McCullers will start Game 3 of the World Series against the Phillies on Monday.
He will pitch opposite Noah Syndergaard in his first appearance since throwing five innings against the Yankees on Oct. 23. McCullers has given up three earned runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out 13 over 11 innings in two postseason starts.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Doesn't factor in Game 4 win
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McCullers didn't factor in the decision during Sunday's 6-5 win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking six over five innings.
McCullers had a shaky start in Game 4, allowing the Yankees to go 8-for-23 and score runs in three of the five innings he pitched. The 29-year-old righty did not record a clean inning until his final inning before he was relieved by Hector Neris. Sunday's start was much different than his ALDS start against the Mariners that included six scoreless innings and only two hits. McCullers now boasts a 2.45 ERA with 13 K's over 11 innings, and his next opportunity to pitch will be in the World Series against the Phillies.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Set to start Game 4
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McCullers will start Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees on Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander pitched Game 3 of the ALDS and fired six scoreless frames against the Mariners, but it will be Cristian Javier who takes the mound for the third game versus the Yankees. McCullers missed most of the year due to a forearm injury, but he pitched well after making his season debut Aug. 13 and finished with a 2.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 50:22 K:BB across 47.2 innings. According to Mark Berman of KRIV 26 News, McCullers was pushed back after being struck in the elbow by a champagne bottle during the ALDS victory celebration, but he threw a bullpen session Friday without issue and is ready to pitch in New York.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Quality start to end regular season
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McCullers (4-2) took the loss Monday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk over six innings against the Phillies. He struck out five.
McCullers finished the season on a high note, with his fourth consecutive quality start. His only major mistake came on the very first pitch he threw, a sinker that caught too much of the plate which Kyle Schwarber took the other way to left field for a solo home run. The earned run was enough to prevent McCullers from earning the win as he was outdueled by Aaron Nola. In his nine starts this season, the 29-year-old went 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA, which he will look to build on with a full workload next year.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Looks ready to go Monday
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McCullers (illness) is on track to make his scheduled start Monday against the Phillies, MLB.com reports.
Barring a setback in his recovery from the illness while he's warming up Monday, McCullers looks poised to rejoin the rotation for what will be his final tune-up outing before the postseason. McCullers missed his last turn through the rotation last week against the Diamondbacks on account of the illness, with the 29-year-old right-hander losing some weight as a result of the ailment. He has since regained some strength and looks ready to go Monday, though the Astros could be cautious with his usage.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Targeting Monday start
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McCullers (illness) is targeting a return Monday against the Phillies, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
McCullers missed his start Tuesday against the Diamondbacks due to an illness, but it looks as though he might only need to miss one turn in the rotation. He threw Friday and is in line for one more start before the end of the regular season, assuming he's cleared to pitch.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Scratched Tuesday with illness
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McCullers was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Diamondbacks due to an illness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
It's unclear when McCullers will make his next appearance for the Astros, but Luis Garcia will start in his place Tuesday. The Astros only have four games left this week after Tuesday and a handful of well-rested starting options.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Snags win versus Tampa Bay
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McCullers (4-1) got the win after he pitched seven innings, surrendering two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight Wednesday versus Tampa Bay.
McCullers gave up one run in the sixth frame before Isaac Paredes took him deep for a solo shot in the seventh inning, accounting for the final tally against him in the contest. The right-hander has yet to allow more than three runs in any outing since making his season debut Aug. 13, making seven starts over that stretch. He now owns a 2.38 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 45 punchouts over 41.2 innings this year.
