The defending World Series champion Houston Astros will be without star pitcher Lance McCullers for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Astros general manager Dana Brown announced on Wednesday that the All-Star has undergone surgery on his right forearm to repair the flexor tendon.
“After the injury happened in February, Lance worked his tail off to get back on the mound, Brown said in a statement. “This guy is a warrior and did everything in his power to get back. But each time he built himself up to an increased pitch total off the mound, the pain would come back. It’s unfortunate, but we look forward to him being back on the mound next season.”
McCullers, 29, originally injured his arm in Game 4 of the 2021 American League Division Series. It limited him to eight starts last season. The one-time All-Star then aggravated the injury back in February of this year and has not pitched this season.
For Houston, this is an absolutely huge blow to the team’s rotation. Despite being limited to just 47 games over the past three seasons, McCullers has been brilliant when he was on the bump during that span.
Lance McCullers stats (2020-22): 20-10 record, 3.16 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 9.9 K’s per nine
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated MLB power rankings
Without McCullers thus far this season, Houston boasts a 38-29 record heading into Wednesday’s game against the Washington Nationals. It stands in second place in the American League West behind the Texas Rangers.
Framber Valdez (2.36 ERA, 1.06 WHIP), Hunter Brown (3.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) and Cristian Javier (7-1 record, 3.13 ERA) have spearheaded the Astros’ rotation.
On the heels of the Lance McCullers injury news, it would not be a surprise to see the Houston Astros pull off a deal for a veteran starting pitcher ahead of the August MLB trade deadline.