McCullers inches closer to return with scoreless rehab outing

HOUSTON -- Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. took another step Saturday night towards returning to the rotation later this month when he tossed four scoreless innings in his third Minor League rehab start -- and second for Triple-A Sugar Land -- in a 6-2 win over Albuquerque at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.

McCullers, who underwent surgery in June 2023 to repair a flexor tendon and suffered a setback last season, allowed one hit, one walk and struck out five batters while throwing 61 pitches and generating 13 swings and misses for the Space Cowboys.

“Overall, I’m super happy with everything,” he said while the Astros fell 4-1 to the Angels at Daikin Park. “Good and bad, I’m not trying to be so results-based in these [games] and trying to make sure I’m executing and things like that. All my stuff felt really good and where I needed it to be. You’re starting to play the game and starting to navigate a couple of times through the order and all that kind of stuff, and it feels good to be at that point.”

McCullers averaged 91.4 mph on 13 sinkers and 80.5 mph on 13 curveballs, which is below his average. The velocity on his slider (85.1 mph), which he threw 12 times, was also down a couple of ticks, but McCullers said it’s to be expected.

“I think that’s pretty good,” he said. “I reflect back on my [rehab] in 2022. I was in the upper 80s range during my rehab, maybe getting to 90, 91. … I think it shows things are timing up and synced up, and obviously there will be a little bit more adrenaline, of course, when you're pitching in a big league game and things like that.”

McCullers liked that he was able to throw his fastball up in the zone when he wanted to, and he continues to be pleased with the evolution of his cutter, which has been a pretty consistent pitch throughout his rehab.

“I’m really dialed in on that pitch,” he said. “I feel like I can execute that pitch well. The curveball today had a lot more depth in it than the previous outings, which is really nice to see. And for as much depth as I was getting, the velo was still solid. Those are all big positives.”

McCullers, who missed the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, injured his flexor tendon in Game 4 of the ‘21 AL Division Series against the White Sox and spent most of the next season rehabbing. He returned to throw at the end of ‘22, but hasn’t thrown in a Major League game since Game 3 of the ‘22 World Series against the Phillies.

He’s expected to make one more rehab start next week, aiming to reach 75-80 pitches, before perhaps getting activated to rejoin the Astros' rotation, a moment he admitted this spring he wasn’t sure he would get to experience again.

Arrighetti talks injury
For the first time since he suffered a broken right thumb on his throwing hand Monday when he was hit by a ball during batting practice in Seattle, Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti said he’s relieved that he didn’t need surgery. He will be in a cast for about two more weeks, and general manager Dana Brown said Friday he could be out for six weeks.

“I feel like it could have been a lot worse,” Arrighetti said. “Obviously, we got news the other day that we won't be having surgery. I feel that’s really positive, as well. The road back is really clear-cut. I give the thumb time to heal. We’re going to continually image it over the course of the next few weeks, and as soon as we feel it’s in a place where I’m ready to throw the ball, I’ll throw the ball again.”

Arrighetti was playing catch in the outfield during Mariners batting practice at T-Mobile Park when someone yelled that a ball was incoming. His instinct was to cover his head, but his thumb took the brunt of it. He knew within 30 seconds he had broken his thumb.

“It was just a really, really freak accident,” said Arrighetti, who’s 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA in two starts into his second year in the Major Leagues.