Astros reveal potential return date for Lance McCullers Jr., but fans won't be happy

Lance McCullers Jr., who has not thrown a pitch in the big leagues since October 3, 2022 against the Philadelphia Phillies, is very close to making his return to Major League Baseball. The Astros' right-hander has been plagued by a series of injuries the past few seasons, but after a rehab outing this past weekend that saw him toss four innings for Triple-A Sugar Land, McCullers just needs one more successful rehab start before returning to the Astros rotation.

According to The Athletic's Chandler Rome, Astros GM Dana Brown spoke during a recent radio interview and surmised that Houston's upcoming series against the Kansas City Royals is the target date of McCullers' long awaited return. That's great news, except for one thing — it's a road game.

McCullers has been gone for so long that he probably doesn't care if his first MLB start since 2022 came at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento — the Athletics' new home stadium — he just wants to pitch. But for a Houston fanbase that surely would want to welcome McCullers back to the bigs with open arms, this is a rather disappointment announcement.

Astros reveal potential return date for Lance McCullers Jr., but fans won't be happy

At the end of the day, Brown's job is do what's right for the player, and perhaps giving him a start on the road will calm his nerves just a bit. It'll definitely be an overwhelming experience just being back on a major league mound, but doing so in front of the home fans would up the adrenaline level just a little bit more.

The Astros series against the Royals begins on Friday, April 25th, and depending on which game during the three-game series McCullers actually pitches in, it could be a while before he makes his Daikin Park debut this season.

After Houston's three-game series at Kauffman Stadium in KC, the Astros return home for three against the Tigers. Following that, the Astros embark on a six-game road trip to play the White Sox and Brewers. If McCullers doesn't start during Houston's series opener against Kansas City, Astros fans won't see the former All-Star in-person until the club returns for a six-game stint against the Royals and Cincinnati Reds in mid-May.

McCullers' addition to the Astros rotation couldn't come at a better time. Houston was already thin on starting pitching, and Spencer Arrighetti's freak injury has forced the Astros to turn to rookie hurler Ryan Gusto. While McCullers shouldn't be counted on to be a savior of any sort, his presence in the clubhouse and on the mound brings some much needed depth to a battered and bruised Astros starting rotation.

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