McCullers 'in a really good spot' after 2-year absence

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- There appears to be a light at the end of the rehabilitation tunnel for Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., who hasn’t thrown a pitch in a big league game since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. That’s two full seasons without pitching and only 47 2/3 regular-season innings under his belt since the end of 2021.

The fact that McCullers, who underwent surgery in June 2023 to repair a flexor tendon and suffered a setback last season, has thrown seven times in the bullpen this spring is encouraging. The fact he could face hitters in the next couple of weeks, and could pitch in a Grapefruit League game by the end of March, has him optimistic.

“I’m in a really good spot mentally and physically,” McCullers said. “Walking the path, the long journey, I guess, I’m very happy with the way things have gone this offseason.”

McCullers, 31, last pitched a full season in 2021, going 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 162 1/3 innings and finishing seventh in American League Cy Young Award voting. He injured his flexor tendon in Game 4 of the 2021 AL Division Series and spent most of the next season rehabbing. McCullers underwent flexor tendon surgery in June 2023 -- a procedure that wound up being more complicated than planned.

“I was expecting a minor flexor repair, and what I had was a flexor replacement,” McCullers said. “My flexor was off the bone, so they had to drill more holes, do an internal brace, bring my flexor back through my bone, and when I woke up from surgery, the prognosis on time was 15-plus months.”

That would have put McCullers' return at the end of last September, but Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery, told him it could take up to 18 months. The Astros were hoping to get McCullers back for last year’s stretch run before announcing in early August that he had a setback and would miss the rest of the season.

When McCullers gets on the bullpen mound Sunday on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, it will mark his eighth bullpen session. He’s throwing all his pitches -- fastball, slider, curveball, changeup and cutter -- and is up to 90 mph.

“I actually went back to 2021 and just was watching my film from spring, and the velo is pretty much where I was [then],” McCullers said. “My first live [BP] in 2021, I was 89-91, and so I’m pretty much in that range right now. The fastball velocity is really solid. The offspeed -- curveball, slider -- is in the upper 70s, so I’m not too far away from game speed.

"In the past I’ve made some mistakes during the rehab process, like trying to force velocity in the bullpen because I wanted to see those numbers. I think that’s been part of some of the setbacks.”

McCullers is one of three starting pitchers the Astros hope to get back from injuries this year. Luis Garcia, who had Tommy John surgery in May 2023, is throwing off flat ground and doesn’t have a timetable for a return. Cristian Javier, who had Tommy John surgery in June 2024, could return in the second half of the season.

A clearer picture of McCullers’ timeline will emerge when he starts to pitch in games.

“I think I can only go on rehab for 30 days, so when I break for Triple-A [Sugar Land on rehab assignment], there’s a pretty clear timeline and indication of when I’ll be able to come back,” McCullers said. “You’ll pencil me in for impacting this club in the rotation for the rest of the season.”

McCullers was reminded Friday morning that he and Jose Altuve are the last remaining members of the 2017 World Series championship team after Alex Bregman went to the Red Sox. The team has changed around him and might not be the juggernaut it has been in years past. But McCullers believes the Astros can remain competitive.

“I think they’re trying to continue to put good teams on the field that have a true chance to win the West and a chance to make runs in the playoffs,” McCullers said. “I think the trajectory is good. I think it’s much better than a lot of clubs that have a lot of success and then ultimately have to go into a massive rebuild.”