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One constant for the Houston Astros in 2024 has been the steady stream of injuries that have befallen the team. Right now, the Astros are trying to figure out when Justin Verlander and Kyle Tucker will return after the All-Star break and that doesn't include season-ending injuries to guys like Jose Urquidy, Cristian Javier, and JP France.
If there was a bright spot amongst all of these injuries, it was that there were some long-injured Astros players that were supposed to come back soon. One such player is Lance McCullers Jr. who has been rehabbing since having flexor tendon surgery back in 2023 and who, when healthy, is a very valuable member of the Astros pitching staff.
Unfortunately, it was recently revealed that McCullers Jr. had a setback and had to be shut down from his rehab. Over the weekend, Astros general manager Dana Brown then provided a rather ominous update on the potential for his return in 2024.
Astros GM Dana Brown told the team's pregame radio show that Lance McCullers Jr. received "his second opinion." Brown said "we just have to let time heal and we can’t push him." Brown again broached the possibility that McCullers could contribute "out of our bullpen in September"
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 14, 2024
Astros News: It sure sounds like the best case scenario for Lance McCullers Jr.'s return could be September
The silver lining here is that whatever McCullers Jr. had happen during his rehab wasn't a newly discovered serious injury (although we can't rule it out at this point). While it stinks that the team needs to shut him down once again, there are certainly scenarios that are worse than just needing some more rest for a while. That said, paying McCullers Jr. $16-17 million a year to exist on the injured list again does not feel great.
However, Brown's comments at the end here are extremely telling, and could add even more urgency to this year's trade deadline for the Astros. While Houston has gotten a very welcome boost in their rotation from the emergence of Ronel Blanco, as well as Hunter Brown becoming unhittable all of a sudden, the fact remains that they needed more starting pitching depth in the second half. Now, it looks like McCullers Jr. will come back as a bullpen arm this year (if at all) when it was originally thought that he could provide Houston with some rotation help.
It is also a little curious why McCullers Jr. sought out a second opinion in the first place. In most cases, a player doesn't go get a second opinion if they got good news during the first opinion from a doctor. At minimum, it seems likely that McCullers Jr.'s injury situation is more complicated than just the usual rehab soreness.