Astros GM just said the quiet part out loud regarding Lance McCullers Jr.’s future

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. is overdue for some good fortune. The former All-Star was placed on the 15-day injured list last Friday, making it the fourth time McCullers has visited the IL this season. All in all, McCullers hasn’t been healthy for a significant stretch of time since 2021, and it’s beginning to feel like his career might be somewhat of a lost cause from here on out. 

Some have suggested that the Astros would be wise to move on from McCullers this offseason, even though Houston owes the pitcher $18 million in 2026. At this point, the Astros can’t feel much worse about having signed McCullers to an $85 million extension back in 2021. But who could have seen such a tragic string of injuries coming?

McCullers’ injury woes began with a flexor tendon strain in 2022 that ruined most of his season. Further setbacks caused McCullers to miss all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

This season hasn’t been much better, as indicated by the aforementioned four IL stints. What’s concerning about McCullers’ injury troubles is that he’s having issues in different areas all over his body, as if he’s made entirely of glass.

This season’s ailments have included a foot sprain, a blister, and most recently, a hand injury. The Astros tried to switch things up for McCullers by moving him to the bullpen, but the injuries continued. Sadly, the latest comments on McCullers from Astros general manager Dana Brown don’t feel optimistic.

Astros GM makes it sound like McCullers won’t pitch for the team…perhaps ever again

The Athletic’s Chandler Rome (subscription required) recently delved into the ongoing McCullers saga, featuring quotes directly from Brown. “There’s a chance that this is the last that we’ve seen of him,” Brown said of McCullers. “Is it possible he could get back for the last couple games? There’s probably an outside chance, but highly unlikely.”

Even before McCullers’ recent injury, all indications — based on his usage — were that the Astros had given up on him as an impact reliever. As alluded to by Rome, Houston was only using McCullers in extremely low-leverage situations.

While Rome speculated that a healthy offseason could rejuvenate McCullers for 2026, the final year of his extension, it’s likely that the Astros don’t view the situation quite as positively. Then again, Rome did point out that McCullers’ involvement might be a necessity for Houston, based on their forecasted starting pitching depth.

Houston isn’t worried about 2026 right now, however. Following a sweep of the Texas Rangers, the Astros will host the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series beginning on Friday that could decide the division, followed by a season-ending road trip featuring two, three-game sets against the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels, respectively.

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