A Houston Astros pitcher is getting closer and closer to making his return to the mound.
The Houston Astros have a few question marks as spring training got fully underway for the squad last week.
A lot of people are keeping a close eye on their lineup, specifically the outfield situation. Long-time second baseman Jose Altuve is going to be playing some left field to help compensate for their lack of quality depth in the grass.
If he is departing the infield, at least on a part-time basis, someone will need to step into his vacated spot at the keystone.
That will be a positional battle to keep an eye on, but another part of the team that will be garnering a lot of attention is the pitching staff.
Veterans Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi both left in free agency, creating a void in the starting rotation.
Ace Framber Valdez and emerging star Hunter Brown are locked into the top two spots. Ronel Blanco will be in the rotation as well, but beyond those three, there are a lot of question marks that need to be addressed.
Spencer Arrighetti and Hayden Wesneski are the favorites right now, but there are multiple players returning from injury that will be looking to unseat them in camp.
One of them is veteran Lance McCullers Jr.
It has been a long time since he last took the mound with the Astros. Nov. 1, 2022, in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, was the last time he was on a Major League mound as he has dealt with a multitude of ailments in the years since.
McCullers has had a long road back, but he is making progress in his rehab for a highly-anticipated return.
On Monday, as shared by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, he was expected to take part in a bullpen session which would put him one step closer to overcoming a major hurdle in his recovery process; facing live hitters in batting practice.
It is anyone’s guess what McCullers will look during live sessions as he works his way toward taking part in actual game action.
He has reached some impressive heights, as he was an All-Star in 2017 and finished seventh in the Cy Young Award voting in 2021. His stuff is dynamic with 10.0 K/9, striking out 800 batters in 718.2 innings with a 3.48 ERA.
Expecting him to return to producing at that level right away is unrealistic, but McCullers certainly has the talent to help this team win games in 2025 should he be able to stay healthy.
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