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The Houston Astros have been hard at work this offseason doing what has amounted to a pretty significant overhaul of their roster. Kyle Tucker is gone, Alex Bregman might be gone, and Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker are in the fold. It is unclear if Houston is "better" than they were in 2024, but they certainly haven't been boring in the lead-up to 2025.
However, the one area that they have failed to address is their rotation. With Justin Verlander going out west and Yusei Kikuchi signing with the Angels, Houston's starting pitch staff looks pretty shallow even if you are super optimistic on both Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown.
The Astros' hope, it seemed, was that some of their injured arms would return and be able to fill those gaps. However, when general manager Dana Brown spoke to the media on Saturday, he revealed that both Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia will not be ready by Opening Day.
Astros GM Dana Brown said neither Luis Garcia nor Lance McCullers Jr. will be ready for Opening Day, but both are throwing and looking good. Brown hinted that both pitchers could be ready shortly after the season begins.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 25, 2025
Astros reveal neither Luis Garcia nor Lance McCullers Jr. will be ready by Opening Day
Obviously this is not great news as both pitchers have been out for a long time and have experienced issues during their rehabs from arm injuries. However, the outlook for each pitcher does seem to be a bit different.
Garcia had Tommy John surgery back in May 2023 and dealt with soreness last year that halted his rehab. This update seems to just be an extension of that particular issue as it sounds like the Astros just shut him down for a while and now he is working his way back up the rehab ladder. It sounds like he is throwing and feeling good, so there isn't too much cause for concern there.
Luis Garcia said he had some elbow tightness during his recovery process in September, so the Astros shut him down for six weeks. He’s back throwing and said he feels great.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 25, 2025
McCullers Jr. having yet another problem is a bit more concerning as he has had a number of setbacks in recent years as he looks to get back on the mound. While he is excellent when he does pitch, he has made a total of eight starts since 2022 and that he got shutdown again last year and won't be ready for Opening Day is cause for concern.
While the Astros sound somewhat confident that both pitchers will be able to return early in the 2025 season, nothing is guaranteed and this is yet another wrinkle in Houston's outlook next season.