Lance McCullers rejoined the Houston Astros’ rotation this season after being sidelined by arm injuries for two and half years. The Astros have been patient with McCullers as the former Cy Young candidate attempts to work his way back into form. And Houston is continuing that strategy by moving his next start back.
“I want to give him an extra day… He is OK. I’m just trying to give him some time here between starts,” Espada explained, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
Lance McCullers worked his way back to the Astros
McCullers went 868 days between starts as he recovered from flexor tendon surgery and an injury setback that forced him to miss all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The All-Star righty returned to the Astros’ rotation on May 4. Then, in his fifth start of the season, McCullers reached a major milestone, throwing six innings for the first time since 2022.
In his last outing, McCullers took another big step forward. He threw six scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing two hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. The 31-year-old veteran out-dueled Paul Skenes to earn his first win since 2022 as the Astros topped the PIrates 3-0.
Now, apparently out of an abundance of caution, the Astros will give McCullers an extra day of rest, pushing his next start, which was scheduled for Sunday, back to Tuesday, June 10. Instead of facing the Cleveland Guardians on the road, he’ll open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at home.
Despite McCullers’ incredible story of perseverance, he and his family received death threats after he gave up seven runs in a third of an inning during his second start since 2022. While disturbed by the incident, McCullers continued pitching for the Astros, showing improvements each outing.
The police identified the person behind the threats as an “intoxicated bettor located overseas.” The person in question had gambled on the Astros and lost money on the game McCullers started. No chargers have been filed but the case remains open.
The Astros have been hot recently, winning eight of the last 11 games. The team is 34-28 entering play on Friday and Houston has managed to overtake the Seattle Seahawks in the division. The Astros have a 1.5 game lead over Seattle in the AL West.
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