915 days passed between Lance McCullers Jr.'s last start of 2022 and his first one of 2025. He had missed two full seasons of baseball after undergoing surgery to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur in July 2023 and experiencing a setback during a minor-league rehab assignment the following year.
Unfortunately for McCullers Jr., things have not gone to plan since his return to the Houston Astros' big-league squad. Through 13 games (including 12 starts), he has pitched to a 2-4 record, 6.97 ERA and 1.83 WHIP (while earning 57 strikeouts to 36 walks) across 50.1 innings pitched.
McCullers Jr.'s struggles on the mound likely played a part in Astros manager Joe Espada's decision to move him to the bullpen for the "short term" on Thursday. That's where Dana Brown, the club's general manager, expects him to stay once Houston reaches the postseason.
Brown believes McCullers Jr. will 'give us all that he's got' in the bullpen
In an exclusive interview conducted by MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Brown expressed confidence in McCullers Jr.'s ability to produce in the Astros' bullpen.
"Look, the best thing I can say about Lance is I know he's going to give us 100 percent, and if he could continue to come out of the ‘pen and give us all that he's got, I think he could be an addition to this team," Brown said. "The rotation seems to be solidifying itself and with him in the ‘pen, we feel good if we have to go get him and throw multiple innings. And so that could be a good thing for us coming out of the ‘pen."
A closer look at the state of the Astros' starting pitching staff indicates why that might be the case.
The Astros are currently using a six-man rotation as it plays through a 13-day stretch during which it has zero off days. Once the playoffs begin, the length of that rotation will likely shorten to just three or four hurlers. Two of those spots should belong to Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, the team's two best starting pitchers this season.
Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, and Jason Alexander are among the other pitchers vying for the remaining places in the Astros' postseason rotation; given McCullers Jr.'s struggles, he is near the bottom of that pack.
But things could surely change over the course of the next month, especially if McCullers Jr. is given an opportunity to start more regular-season games and proves to be effective.