Lance McCullers Jr. (shoulder) set for rehab start

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters McCullers is waiting for swelling to subside before he resumes throwing. The 32-year-old starter hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation last week. It’s probably going to be a while before he’s ready to return to Houston’s rotation, which means fantasy managers outside of extremely deep mixed leagues can probably move on to alternatives on the waiver wire.

McCullers hits the injured list shortly after being scratched from Tuesday’s start against the Twins with shoulder inflammation. The 32-year-old has already returned to Houston to undergo imaging to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage. There should be a clearer idea of his status at some point later this week. It’s a bit unclear how the Astros will fill his rotation spot at the moment.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters McCullers has been pitching through the shoulder issue for a few starts but didn’t bounce back as hoped this week following his latest outing. He’ll return to Houston to undergo further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue and his next steps. It certainly sounds like he’s headed to the injured list. It’ll be Jason Alexander taking the ball to open a bullpen game on Tuesday against the Twins.

No word on the reason for the move. It’ll be Jason Alexander making a spot start in his place. It’s worth noting that McCullers has been pitching through a lingering fingernail issue that cropped up earlier this month during a start against the Dodgers. There should be an update on his status shortly.

Coming off a fingernail issue, McCullers worked around constant traffic on the bases to deliver a solid start here. He led with his cutter against a very left-handed heavy Mariners lineup and it forced plenty of weak contact to bail him out of some jams. Ironically, despite all the base runners, the only runs he surrendered came via two solo home runs. The first of which came against J.P. Crawford, the first batter of the game. McCullers threw him three fastballs, none were thrown harder than 90 mph, and he didn’t throw one for the rest of his outing after Crawford’s tank. That’s one heck of an adjustment right there and it worked because the velocity on the rest of his pitches did not dip. Keep an eye on that fastball velocity in his next scheduled start against the Twins.

McCullers added that a portion of his fingernail on his right index finger popped off while throwing a third-inning curveball, which led to his early exit from the contest. He was charged with six runs over 2 2/3 innings during Wednesday afternoon’s start against the Dodgers. Incredibly, the first three runs all came on wild pitches. He finished with four strikeouts and also issued three walks. He’s tentatively scheduled to take the ball against the Mariners on Tuesday. There should be an update on his status at some point in the next few days.

The 32-year-old right-hander allowed just two hits and four walks on the evening. The Astros staked him to a five-run lead in the first inning and all McCullers had to do was keep the train on the tracks to earn a victory here. All of the damage done against him came in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Pete Alonso and a two-run triple off the bat of Leody Taveras. McCullers generated 18 swings and misses on 99 offerings in the contest — 11 of them on his knucklecurve — while registering a strong CSW of 35 percent. Now 2-1 on the season, he’ll look to further improve upon his 6.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 33/17 K/BB ratio (31 1/3 innings) when he toes the slab against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old right-hander also issued four free passes on the night while punching out three. The Yankees scored three runs (one earned) off of him in the first inning, then added on with solo shots from Ryan McMahon in the second and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth. McCullers then returned for the sixth and allowed a single and an RBI double before exiting. He got just five swings and misses on 92 pitches in the ballgame, posting a CSW of 27 percent. Now 1-2 on the season, he’ll bring an unappealing 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP (25 1/3 innings) into Thursday’s start against the Orioles in Baltimore.

That first time out when McCullers limited the Red Sox to one run over seven innings is looking like a big aberration right now. He’s given up 13 runs with a 12/8 K/BB over 13 1/3 innings in his three starts this month. The Astros will surely stick with him, but below average velocity and poor command makes for a bad combination. He’ll face the Yankees next week.

McCullers got into immediate trouble, as he gave up a two-run homer to Cal Raleigh with no one out in the first inning. He settled down over the next three innings, but fell apart in the fifth, and he was charged for a run after Julio Rodríguez blistered a two-run that tied the game at 7-7 after he was handed a 7-2 lead. McCullers was excellent against the Red Sox, and has been anything but since. He’ll get the Rockies on Thursday in Houston.