Lance

McCullers Jr.

The Astros are going to continue to take every precaution as they’re ramping him up, but the fact that he’s back on the bump is obviously an encouraging sign for the 30-year-old right-hander. Expect that he’ll repeat the process many times before he’s cleared to start facing live hitters. There’s still no clear timetable for a potential return to the big league rotation.

Both pitchers are on the 60-day IL and are unlikely to return before June, but it’s good to see that they are beginning their throwing programs. Of course, there’s a long way to go between now and facing live hitters, but the Astros would love to have them back and healthy this summer.

It’s a step in the right direction for McCullers as he attempts to make it back to Houston’s starting rotation mix sometime around midseason. The 30-year-old righty should be ready to face hitters at some point next month.

McCullers hopes to return to baseball sometime in July as he continues to recover from surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm and also remove a bone spur from his elbow. Fantasy managers should wait to hear more news about his return down the road and use another a roster spot for someone that can help early in the season.

McCullers Jr. added that he’s progressed to flat-ground throwing up to 80 feet. There’s still a long way to go in his recovery process from last year’s surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm and also remove a bone spur from his elbow, but he appears to be on track to return to Houston’s pitching mix sometime in the summer. Given his lengthy injury history, fantasy managers should wait and see how his stuff bounces back before committing a roster spot sometime around midseason.

McCullers Jr. is working towards a mid-2024 return after undergoing surgery back in June to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm and also remove a bone spur in his elbow. Astros general manager Dana Brown expressed optimism last month that he’ll be ready to pitch at some point next summer, but fantasy managers should remain cautiously optimistic after the injury-plagued righty missed the entire 2023 campaign due to injury.

McCullers Jr. missed the entire 2023 season after requiring surgery in June to repair a torn right flexor tendon and also remove a bone spur from his right forearm. The 30-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2022 season and seems highly unlikely to pitch in the first half of the 2024 campaign as well. Fantasy managers can rule him out as a potential mixed-league option in drafts next spring.

The right-hander underwent season-ending surgery on Tuesday to repair a flexor tendon and remove a bone spur from his right forearm. He’ll miss the remainder of the 2023 season -- and possibly the start of the 2024 campaign -- while recovering from the procedure. This move freed up a spot on the Astros’ 40-man roster for the acquisition of Joel Kuhnel on Saturday.

Unfortunate news. Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters McCullers Jr. will resume throwing in November, which probably won’t be ready for Opening Day, and it’ll be hard to trust the Astros to give additional updates on his progress before any possible return. McCullers Jr. never pitched in 2023 because of what the Astros said for weeks was a “low grade” muscle strain in his forearm. He was limited to eight starts last year because of a flexor tendon strain.

Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters that they’ll make a decision regarding McCullers Jr.'s future early next week. It certainly doesn’t sound good and it’s looking extremely unlikely that he’ll contribute this season for fantasy managers. The 29-year-old righty has been on the shelf all year due to a right forearm strain.