Lance McCullers Jr. (shoulder) set for rehab start

McCullers had been designated for assignment on Sunday. It appears that he cleared waivers and will now become a free agent. The veteran has a 6.55 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 44 innings this season for the Astros and Brewers.

The 32-year-old right-hander made just two appearances during his time with the Brewers, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and a 5/5 K/BB ratio over 4 2/3 innings. There’s a chance that another team could take a chance on him on waivers as a reclamation project.

It remains to be seen whether Milwaukee’s plans will change with Brandon Woodruff set to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, but it appears that McCullers will operate out of the bullpen once he’s activated from the injured list. The 32-year-old veteran was acquired from the Astros in a trade earlier this week.

Arnold also indicated that fellow acquisition Colton Gordon will likely head to Triple-A for now. If McCullers, who has been on the IL for two months with shoulder inflammation, is activated, one imagines he’d be part of a six-man rotation the first time through. He could bump Robert Gasser afterwards if he proves worthy. McCullers made his last start July 7, giving up four runs — two earned — in four innings for Triple-A Sugar Land.

This move was reported a few hours ago and is now official. McCullers was up to 77 pitches in his last rehab start, so there’s a chance that he could join the Milwaukee rotation shortly. The Brewers are picking up the $2.5 million remaining on McCuller’s contract. It’s a worthwhile flier given their recent injuries and the Brewers still have time to look for rotation upgrades before the August 3 trade deadline.

No word yet on what the return will be, but this is a surprising development given how long McCullers has been a part of the Astros organization. The veteran is close to returning from a shoulder injury, but he also posted a 6.86 ERA in eight starts to begin the year so the Astros seem to feel he doesn’t fit into their rotation plans anymore. The Brewers have had plenty of success in the past with pitchers who have lower velocity, but a deep mix of pitches, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they were able to get a good run of production out of McCullers the rest of the way. We still wouldn’t add him in anything but deep 15 team leagues.

McCullers also walked three and struck out four while throwing 43 of his 77 pitches for strikes. HIs cutter averaged 88.4 mph and he only threw three total four-seam fastballs. He posted a 25 percent whiff rate and just 56 percent strike rate, so it wasn’t a pristine effort. However, his pitch count is built up enough that he could be an option for the Astros rotation after the All-Star break.

Lance McCullers Jr. (shoulder) and Ronel Blanco (elbow) are scheduled to pitch in the same rehab contest. The 28-year-old shortstop hit the injured list with a mild calf strain last week and figures to return to Houston before next week’s All-Star break. He was just starting to really find his stride at the dish prior to the injury, hitting .319 (29-for-91) with three homers, 13 RBI and five steals in the month of June.

McCullers gave up only two hits on the day and threw 28 of his 42 pitches for strikes. The 32-year-old sat 88.5 mph on his cutter and 90.9 mph on his sinker, which is in line with where he was earlier this season. He’ll likely need two more rehab starts to build his pitch count back up and then could rejoin the Astros rotation.

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.