WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. took another big step Saturday morning in his long march back to the mound following a two-year absence, throwing batting practice to three of his teammates on a back field at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
McCullers threw 20 pitches, hitting 94.7 mph with his fastball while mixing in his curveball, sinker and changeup. The veteran right-hander underwent surgery in June 2023 to repair a flexor tendon and suffered a setback last season, which cast some doubt in his mind whether he¡¯d ever make it this far again.
¡°There¡¯s been a lot of ups and downs for me, a lot of persevering, a lot of leaning on the Lord to get me back to where I am today,¡± said McCullers, who was watched closely by pitching coach Bill Murphy and director of pitching Eric Niesen.
McCullers said he was happy with the shape of his pitches and added he would seek out hitters Jon Singleton, Jake Meyers and Christian Walker in the coming days for more feedback. McCullers hasn¡¯t pitched in a big league game since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, so having hitters in the box was ¡°a pretty big day.¡±
¡°The overall workload of throwing a pregame bullpen and going to throw a live -- the volume, intent, everything -- is a different cycle today,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s no restraining when you¡¯re facing hitters. There¡¯s no backing off. You want to look good, but that¡¯s not the overall goal of today. The goal is to be healthy and try to execute my pitches. I thought I looked, overall, solid.¡±
McCullers, 31, last pitched a full season in 2021, going 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 162 1/3 innings on his way to finishing seventh in AL 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. His flexor tendon surgery wound up being more complicated than planned because the flexor tendon was off the bone, which meant reattaching with screws and an internal brace.
Now that he¡¯s progressed to facing hitters, McCullers said his rehab program calls for at least three live batting practice sessions. He¡¯s still hoping to get into a Grapefruit League game in March.
¡°Today¡¯s a pretty good indication the arm can handle the workload, can handle the velo,¡± McCullers said. ¡°I probably have a little bit more gas in there as I get going. To be able to throw sliders with freedom and curveballs with freedom and worry about executing fastballs [on] each side of the plate and have my mind there vs. having my mind on, ¡®How¡¯s the elbow feeling?¡¯ today is a big step for me.¡±
McCullers is one of three starting pitchers the Astros hope to get back from injury this year. Luis Garcia, who had Tommy John surgery in May 2023, hit 90 mph in the bullpen on Thursday and could face hitters this month. Cristian Javier, who had Tommy John surgery in June 2024, could return in the second half of the season.