The Astros seem to have the injury bug for the second season in a row. A large number of those injuries have been from the pitching staff, and this week, they added another name to the long list that keeps on growing.
Lance McCullers Jr. was scratched from his scheduled start at Target Field on Tuesday, about three hours before first pitch. He has officially been placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. He is now the fourth member of Houston's opening rotation to land on the IL this season.
McCullers had reportedly been pitching through shoulder pain for a few starts, but this week, he couldn't get through it. Earlier concerns had already surfaced during his May 6 start against the Dodgers, when a portion of the fingernail on his right index finger fell off, casting some doubt over his ability to make his next start. He flew back to Houston to be evaluated by the team physicians. The hope is that this is minor and he won't miss much time.
McCullers has struggled this season, posting a 6.68 ERA across his first eight starts in 39.1 innings, but has had some decent outings mixed in. He achieved a milestone on May 13 against the Mariners, when he reached his 900th career strikeout.
McCullers is no stranger to injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and flexor tendon repair in 2023, both causing him to miss some serious time. He missed three full seasons: 2019, 2023 and 2024.
With an already thinning pitching staff, McCullers is not someone they want on the IL. He now joins Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier, both with shoulder issues.
With the injury list continuing to grow it might be time for some of the top prospects to have some time in the majors. Miguel Ullola and Ethan Pecko are both candidates to step in and it could be a good opportunity to see how they perform at the major league level.
The Astros are already dealing with a mountain of injuries. Losing McCullers adds another layer of uncertainty to an already struggling rotation. As long as he responds well to treatment, he shouldn't miss more than a few starts and could even be back this month.
