The 31-year-old right-hander, who was 29 when he last started in an MLB game, has dealt with major injuries to his right flexor tendon and bone spurs in his pitching elbow, sidelining him for the last two-plus seasons.
Prior to injury, McCullers Jr. had been one of the better starting pitchers in baseball, with a career 3.48 ERA over 127 total major league starts, all for the Astros. He was an All-Star in 2017, the year Houston won its first World Series title.
The organization would later reward McCullers Jr.’s efforts with a five-year, $85 million extension in 2021, which has obviously not panned out. However, he did at least contribute to the Astros’ second championship run in 2022.
Getting McCullers Jr. back and healthy will be imperative if the Astros plan to compete for a postseason spot again in 2025. Outside of right-hander Hunter Brown (1.22 ERA), Houston has largely struggled to find consistent starting pitching this season, with a number of starters on the injured list (including right-handers Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France, Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier) and southpaw Framber Valdez pitching to an uncharacteristically high 4.00 ERA over his first six starts.
That said, the Astros can’t (and shouldn’t) expect McCullers Jr. to be a rotation savior right away – the nature of his injuries and subsequent lengthy absence will almost certainly require a build-up even after recently completing a minor league rehab assignment.
Still, this is a positive development for all sides and a feel-good comeback story to watch as the season unfolds.
