Houston Astros Star Suffers Setback in Return From Injury

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. suffered a set back in his bid to return to an MLB mound.

Kade Kistner | May 31, 2023

Houston Astros Star Suffers Setback in Return From Injury /

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Houston Astros

The Houston Astros need all the rotational help they can get.

They were hoping to have some reinforcements in the near future.

Lance McCullers Jr. was supposed to be ready to return from a forearm strain soon, but last week was removed from throwing off a mound and back to flat ground. The team was coy on the reasoning.

On Wednesday, Astros General Manager Dana Brown took to the radio on SportsTalk 790AM and said that McCullers had suffered a "setback."

"He got up to like 35 pitches, I think, and he was up to 93-mph and he started to experience some discomfort," said Brown.

As mentioned here at Inside the Astros last week, the team said that McCullers could be ready to go by the MLB All-Star break. Now that timeline could have shifted, but the extent of so is unknown.

Currently, Houston is rolling out J.P. France and Brandon Bielak at the backend of the rotation after Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia both suffered injuries.

Both are pitching well enough, with France holding a 4.00 ERA through 27.0 innings pitched and Bielak owning a 3.19 ERA through 31.0 innings.

Still, if the Astros hope to contend for another World Series title then they will have to solidify their pitching rotation ahead of the trade deadline. That is if McCullers and Garcia can't get healthy and return to form in a timely manner.

Houston will face the Minnesota Twins in the final of a three-game series on Wednesday. Rookie of the Year candidate Hunter Brown will take the mound.

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Published May 31, 2023

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.