Oft-Injured Houston Astros Star Gets Shut Down Once Again

After it looked like the Houston Astros would finally be getting one of their star pitchers back, his throwing progression has been shut down.

Oct 23, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) reacts after a hit in the first 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

Things have not been pretty for the Houston Astros this season regarding their pitching situation.

Heading into the year, they didn't add any starting arms during the winter as they viewed their acquisition of Justin Verlander at last season's trade deadline as their addition with him being under contract through 2024.

Outside of finances, another reason why the Astros didn't pursue other starters was the fact that Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. were expected to return at some point this year following the All-Star break.

That should give a major boost to this pitching staff.

Having those two alongside Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, and their trio of young stars would have given them plenty of options to turn to throughout the long season.

Unfortunately, things have not workout as planned.

Javier, Urquidy, and J.P. France are all out for the year after undergoing surgical procedures. Verlander is currently on the injured list, but he's expected to come back after the All-Star break. The hope was that by the time he was prepared to return, Houston would also be able to activate Garcia and McCullers shortly after.

That's not going to be the case for the Astros' oft-injured star, though.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that manager Joe Espada shared McCullers "has been shut down after his arm wasn't responding well between bullpen sessions" and they will have him take a few days off while the team "formulates a plan for what's next."

The last time the 30-year-old appeared in a game for this franchise was in 2022 after he threw in eight regular season games and was part of the equation in the playoffs where he helped the organization hoist their second World Series title and the second of his career.

But during Spring Training the following year, he underwent surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his pitching arm that also removed a bone spur.

This has been what's kept him sidelined for all of the 2023 campaign and half of this one.

Now, it sounds like McCullers could miss some more time depending on what the Astros decide to do with the former star pitcher who continues to be snake bitten by injury.