Injured Houston Astros Pitcher Set for Next Major Rehab Step

Lance McCullers Jr. is about to cross another threshold in his bid to return to the Houston Astros’ rotation this season.

Oct 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) reacts to getting a strike out in the fifth inning against the New York Yankees during game four of the ALCS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday injured Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. will take the next step back from flexor tendon surgery in his pitching arm.

That step is what baseball people call an “up/down.” Per The Athletic, the 30-year-old right-hander will throw 25 warm-up pitches, sit down for a period of time and then resume throwing. It’s called an up/down because it’s meant to simulate pitching two innings’ worth of baseball.

The period where McCullers would sit would be the length of a typical Astros turn at the plate.

The move is significant, even though it won’t allow him to throw to hitters yet. The Astros plan to have McCullers do another up/down, probably next week. Then there will be a discussion about throwing to hitters.

So, if McCullers wants to throw to hitters, he has to pass this test first.

The Tampa, Fla., native hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since 2022. In spring training of 2023 he was shut down after he suffered a muscle strain in his right arm. That eventually led to the flexor tendon surgery, which ended his 2023 season. Surgeons also removed some bone spurs from the elbow.

The Astros are being patient with McCullers, though his return would be welcome. The same goes for Luis Garcia, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is a bit further along than McCullers, who had that surgery in 2018 and missed all of 2019.

Houston is without Cristian Javier and José Urquidy for the remainder of this season and part of the 2025 season after both had Tommy John surgery. Justin Verlander is on the injured list for the second time, this time with neck stiffness. Another starter, J.P. France, is on the Triple-A injured list with a shoulder issue.

The Astros are thin in the rotation, so much so that they called up their 2023 draft pick, Jake Bloss, directly from Double-A Corpus Christi to start against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

Houston drafted McCullers in the first round in 2012 after he was named the National Gatorade Player of the Year at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla.

He made his MLB debut in 2015 and quickly became a fixture in the Astros’ rotation, as he helped them win the World Series in both 2017 and 2022. In 2017 he was named to the American League All-Star team and finished 7-4 with a 4.25 ERA.

The following season he went 10-6 with a 3.86 ERA, followed by missing all of 2019 due to elbow surgery.

He had his best season in 2021, going 13-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts. He finished seventh in AL Cy Young voting.