Astros' Lance McCullers: Can't escape first inning
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McCullers (0-1) took the loss against the Reds on Saturday, allowing seven runs on three hits and three walks while recording just one out in the first inning. He did not record a strikeout.
It was a brutal outing for McCullers in just his second start since being activated from the 15-day injured list May 4. He gave up a three-run home run to Elly De La Cruz, and after recording a groundout, McCullers proceeded to put the next four batters he faced on base before being mercifully lifted for Logan VanWey. McCullers will look to put Saturday's outing behind him and hit the reset button ahead of his next start, tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Rangers.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Lasts 3.2 frames in return
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McCullers did not factor into the decision in Sunday's rain-shortened loss to the White Sox, allowing three hits and walks apiece over 3.2 scoreless innings. He struck out four.
In his first outing back from 2023 flexor tendon surgery, McCullers was inefficient against a lowly Chicago lineup, requiring 87 pitches to get 11 outs. Despite not allowing a run, the Houston right-hander generated just six whiffs as his sinker averaged 91.8 mph, down from his 2022 average of 93.1 mph. Given his extended absence, it's not surprising that McCullers might require a few outings to shake off the rust. He currently lines up to make his next start against Cincinnati at home next weekend.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Activated for season debut
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The Astros reinstated McCullers (forearm) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox in Chicago.
McCullers will be making his first appearance for Houston since the 2022 World Series, as he missed the past two seasons while recovering from June 2023 flexor tendon surgery. He's enjoyed a clean bill of health since the start of spring training and wrapped up his rehab assignment on a high note April 26, striking out seven over five scoreless innings and 71 pitches for Double-A Corpus Christi. As a result, he could be capped at 80-90 pitches in his season debut. McCullers is likely to be kept on a five-day rest schedule between starts initially, and the Astros are expected to transition into a six-man rotation during busier portions of their schedule to accommodate him.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Making season debut Sunday
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McCullers (forearm) will return from the 15-day injured list Sunday and will start in the Astros' series finale against the White Sox in Chicago, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
McCullers will be taking the hill for the Astros for the first time since the 2022 World Series, after a prolonged recovery from June 2023 flexor tendon surgery kept him out of action for the entirety of the past two seasons. The right-hander was cleared to resume facing hitters in late February and steadily ramped up to close out spring training before beginning a minor-league rehab assignment March 30. Across four starts between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, McCullers logged a 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 12.2 frames, including a five-inning scoreless appearance in his final outing Saturday. He built up to 71 pitches in that start, so McCullers could be operating with a slight workload restriction in his 2025 Astros debut. Houston may also be keen on building extra rest for McCullers between starts, so it wouldn't be surprising if the team expanded its rotation to six men for the next few weeks.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Bullpen session on tap
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Manager Joe Espada said McCullers (forearm) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday before the Astros determine whether he's ready to be reinstated from the injured list, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander has a 2.84 ERA and 16:6 K:BB across four rehab outings, and if all goes well Wednesday, he could make his next start in the majors. McCullers hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2022 while recovering from arm issues, so it's a good idea to keep expectations in check despite his track record as a top-level starter prior to the injuries.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Sharp with Corpus Christi
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McCullers (forearm) allowed three hits and one walk while striking out seven across five scoreless innings in Saturday's rehab outing with Double-A Corpus Christi.
McCullers had a two-week gap between rehab outings after dealing with an illness. He managed to keep ramping up, however, as he threw 71 pitches and delivered his longest start of the season. There has been no official word from the club, but McCullers could slot into the Houston rotation next weekend against the White Sox.
McCullers (forearm) will make a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, MLB.com reports.
McCullers was scratched from a scheduled rehab outing last week due to a stomach bug, but he's since thrown a 33-pitch bullpen session. He was able to work four innings in a rehab outing April 12, so he is nearing a traditional starter's workload and potential activation from the injured list.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Throws bullpen session
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McCullers (forearm) threw 33 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
McCullers was scratched from a scheduled rehab start Saturday due to illness. He is expected to make a start with Double-A Corpus Christi in the coming days, though the appearance has not been officially scheduled.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: To resume mound work soon
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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Astros' Lance McCullers: Goes two frames in first rehab start
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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: 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
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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
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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.
