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Yet another Houston Astros has landed on the injured list, but this one has a bit more sorrow attached to it. The Astros will be without starter Lance McCullers Jr. after he was placed on the IL with a foot sprain. Right-hander Jason Alexander has been called up to take McCullers' spot on the Astros active roster.
This was about the last thing the Astros needed at the moment. Not only is losing McCullers to the IL a devastating blow to a player who missed two years of action prior to his activation earlier this season, but he now joins the cadre of Houston starters who are unavailable to pitch.
The Astros have weathered the storm thus far, but how many more injuries can Houston's starting rotation take. Alexander is hardly a serviceable replacement, and this latest setback for McCullers may only hasten the Astros need to add pitching depth ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Injury-riddled Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. dealt devastating new setback
As many Astros fans know, McCullers had been out of action since the team's 2022 playoff run. A series of injuries and setbacks kept McCullers on the IL for over two seasons, yet he made his triumphant return to the Astros rotation earlier this year.
Outside of McCullers start against the Cincinnati Reds, he's been quite effective. Since that start against Cincy back on May 10, McCullers is 1-1 with a 3.20 ERA and 3.27 FIP. He's struck out 35 batters while allowing nine runs on 20 hits over 25 ⅓ innings of work. McCullers was lights out late last month with a 12-strikeout performance against the Athletics.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/OUmFHswtp4
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 16, 2025
McCullers is the latest Astros pitching casualty and will join Christian Javier, Luis Garcia, J.P. France, and Hayden Wesneski on the IL. Houston is also without Ronel Blanco for the rest of the season and have been using rookie hurlers like Brandon Walter, Colton Gordon, and Ryan Gusto to offset the losses.
There's no timetable at the moment for McCullers' return. While fans can take solace in the fact that McCullers' latest injury doesn't involve his elbow or shoulder, it's still likely to keep him off the field for some time.