Lance McCullers Jr. has to clear one last hurdle before rejoining Astros’ rotation

Lance McCullers Jr. is eyeing his return to the big leagues, and may be just one more rehab outing away from doing just that. The right-hander is scheduled to take the mound for the Houston Astros' Double-A affiliate on Saturday afternoon, and if he reaches the goal of hitting 60-70 pitches, there may be nothing left for him to prove in the minor leagues.

McCullers' last rehab start was postponed due to illness, but he's ready to get back on the horse for the Corpus Christi Hooks this afternoon at Whataburger Field. McCullers has made three minor-league starts so far this spring, and through 7 ⅔ innings, has nine punch outs and a 4.70 ERA. This will be McCullers' second start with the Hooks, after his first trip to Corpus Christi was sandwiched between two outings with Houston's Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.

McCullers went four innings in his last rehab start, faced 14 batters, and allowed just one hit while striking out five. Though Houston's pitching staff has been a bright spot for the Astros of late, having McCullers back in the rotation will bring an All-Star caliber arm into the mix. That certainly can't hurt.

Lance McCullers Jr. has to clear one last hurdle before rejoining Astros’ rotation

McCullers hasn't thrown a pitch in a major league game since the end of the 2022 season against the Philadelphia Phillies. That's 936 days, and counting. McCullers has dealt with numerous injuries and setbacks; the most recent being flexor tendon surgery in 2023 to repair a bone spur. That injury was only supposed to sideline McCullers for about a year, but a midseason hiccup torpedoed his chances of returning in 2024.

The Astros' current starting rotation has been performing well of late. Obviously Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez aren't going anywhere when McCullers is ready to return. The Astros had to rely on Ryan Gusto of late, and the right-handed rookie is the most likely Houston starter to exit stage-left once McCullers is fully cleared.

Dana Brown had initially said that Houston's current series against the Kansas City Royals was the target date for McCullers' return, but the stomach ailment that caused him to miss his last rehab start obviously pushed that date back.

Houston's upcoming roadtrip against the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers could be the Astros' new target date for the 28-year-old's return to the majors. It's been a long and arduous road, but McCullers is now ever so close to getting back on a major league mound and contributing to the Astros' success this season.

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