<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-devastating-lance-mccullers-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros dealt devastating Lance McCullers injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Astros-news-Houston-dealt-devastating-Lance-McCullers-injury-update-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros dealt devastating Lance McCullers injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-06-14T12:49:55-07:00">June 14th, 12:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-06-14T12:59:26-07:00">June 14th, 12:59pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros have been hit with another crushing injury blow, this time to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-still-not-throwing-amid-injury" rel="noopener">pitcher Lance McCullers</a>. The veteran right-hander has been trying to return for some time, but he is now <a href="https://twitter.com/astros/status/1669064991217950736" rel="noopener">out for the season</a>, per the Astros’ official statement.</p><p>‘RHP Lance McCullers Jr. underwent surgery on Tuesday evening on his right forearm to repair the flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, Astros GM Dana Brown announced.’</p><p>McCullers has yet to make an appearance in 2023 and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-suffers-injury-setback" rel="noopener">suffered a brutal setback</a> recently, so him being out for the season isn’t entirely surprising. On the other hand, the Astros sure were hoping he would be able to be on the mound for the final push.</p><p>McCullers made just eight appearances for the Astros in 2022, going 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA. His last time on the mound was on November 2 in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, and he gave up seven runs in 4.1 innings.</p><p>The Astros also announced that slugger <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-slugger-yordan-alvarez-injury-timeline-revealed" rel="noopener">Yordan Alvarez will be out</a> for 4-6 weeks on Wednesday, so it has been a rough time for the team as of late. The Astros are still alive in the American League West, although the latest update for Lance McCullers might send them heading to the trade market ahead of the deadline.</p><p>Surprisingly, even without McCullers, the Astros are first in the MLB in ERA (3.28) and 7th in batting average against (.240). Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier have been stellar for Houston, and Hunter Brown has also emerged as a quality starter.</p><p>Still, this latest update is tough news for McCullers, and the hope is he can make a full recovery for the 2024 campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros dealt devastating Lance McCullers injury update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-suffers-injury-setback');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr suffers yet another injury setback');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Lance-McCullers-Jr-suffers-yet-another-injury-setback-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr suffers yet another injury setback</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-05-29T11:56:44-07:00">May 29th, 11:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-05-29T11:56:44-07:00">May 29th, 11:56am</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Astros SP Lance McCullers Jr has suffered yet another setback in his injury recovery. It was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-houston-reveals-firm-lance-mccullers-jr-return-timeline" rel="noopener">previously reported</a> that McCullers Jr could return from his injury in early July, but the latest update will put that timetable into question. McCullers Jr is reportedly no longer throwing off a mound and Dusty Baker said the <a href="https://twitter.com/Chandler_Rome/status/1663235561899933717" rel="noopener">team is taking “it slow”</a> with the right-hander, per <i>The Athletic’s</i> Chandler Rome.</p><p>“We have to take it slow with Lance until we know that he’s 100 percent,” Baker said. “That’s where it is right now.”</p><p>Lance McCullers Jr’s future is up in the air as he battles back from injury. It’s been a tough couple of years for a pitcher who was once regarded as a future superstar.</p><h2><b>Lance McCullers Jr’s injury concerns for Astros</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Lance-McCullers-Jr-suffers-yet-another-injury-setback-2.jpg"></figure><p>Lance McCullers Jr appeared in 28 games during the 2021 season. He posted a strong 3.16 ERA over 162.1 innings pitched for the Astros. It seemed as if Houston had their ace of the future.</p><p>In 2022, he was limited to just eight games pitched during the regular season. He was sharp during that span, recording a 2.27 ERA. Injuries continued to plague him during the Astros’ World Series run though.</p><p>Justin Verlander departed during the offseason which led many to believe McCullers Jr and Framber Valdez would take over as co-aces for the Astros in 2023. However, it was revealed prior to Opening Day that McCullers Jr suffered a muscle strain and wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day.</p><h2><b>McCullers Jr’s frustrations</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Lance-McCullers-Jr-suffers-yet-another-injury-setback-3.jpg"></figure><p>McCullers Jr <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-to-miss-opening-day-with-injury" rel="noopener">was clearly frustrated</a> after revealing that he wasn’t going to be ready for Opening Day in 2023.</p><p>“I’ve been a little bit upset,” McCullers Jr <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1628445344454303744" rel="noopener">said</a> previously, per Brian McTaggart. “I was really looking forward to a great start to the camp and great start to the season. Any time this happens, it’s very frustrating for me and the team and the fanbase.”</p><p>His timetable was uncertain following the injury diagnosis. Two months later, it still remains fairly unclear. This latest setback adds more questions as to when the All-Star caliber pitcher will return.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr suffers yet another injury setback

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-houston-reveals-firm-lance-mccullers-jr-return-timeline');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros reveal firm Lance McCullers Jr. return timeline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Astros-Lance-McCullers-Jr-Dusty-Baker.jpeg"></figure><h1>Astros reveal firm Lance McCullers Jr. return timeline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-05-22T05:43:31-07:00">May 22nd, 5:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-05-22T05:43:31-07:00">May 22nd, 5:43am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Things are looking up for the Houston Astros now. They have won seven straight and 10 of their last 11 as Jose Altuve <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-jose-altuve-injury-return-2023-debut-athletics" rel="noopener">returns to the lineup</a>. One of the next developments they hope to see is the return of Lance McCullers Jr.</p><p>In his rehab from an elbow injury, McCullers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-lance-mccullers-surprise-injury-update-will-put-fans-at-ease-amid-early-struggles" rel="noopener">has been progressing well</a> and now the Astros have a more surefire date range for when he will be back. Houston general manager Dana Brown said on SportsTalk 790 (h/t Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) that the veteran pitcher could be ready to go <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1660344004008099846?s=20" rel="noopener">around the All-Star weekend</a>, which starts Friday, July 7.</p><p>“We’re looking at probably somewhere closer to the All-Star break, or after…depending on whether we can get him built up to start. Certainly, we can use him in the rotation, his veteran presence,” the Astros GM said.</p><p>With Framber Valdez crushing it and other starters like Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown also doing well over the course of the season to this point, the Astros could take things slowly with McCullers. Having him recover fully is key, especially since he missed most of last season. Houston is just two games back from the lead in the AL West and with Altuve back, claiming the lead should not be difficult.</p><p>Lance McCullers Jr. pitched only 47.2 innings last season and has been one of the Astros’ top arms since their scent into a World Series contender. With Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia also working their way back from injuries, the Astros’ pitching staff has to keep it up.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros reveal firm Lance McCullers Jr. return timeline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-lance-mccullers-surprise-injury-update-will-put-fans-at-ease-amid-early-struggles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lance McCullers’ surprise injury update will put fans at ease amid early struggles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Lance-McCullers-Astros.jpg"></figure><h1>Lance McCullers’ surprise injury update will put fans at ease amid early struggles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-16T20:03:27-07:00">April 16th, 8:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-16T20:30:08-07:00">April 16th, 8:30pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>A Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, Rex claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-provides-encouraging-injury-update" rel="noopener">Lance McCullers has yet</a> to see any action in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-to-miss-opening-day-with-injury" rel="noopener">2023 MLB regular season</a> but he appears to be on the right track. The 29-year-old pitcher remains without a timetable for return, but the good news is that he is said to be “<a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1647699587530911746" rel="noopener">ahead of schedule</a>,” per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.</p><p>“Meanwhile, McCullers threw long toss today and his throwing program is going well and ahead of schedule,” McTaggart tweeted. “His next step is mixing in offspeed pitches in with mound work before the end of the month, if all continues to go well.”</p><p>Lance McCullers sustained a mild elbow strain back in Spring Training and has since been sidelined by that upper-body issue. In 2022, McCullers went 4-2 in eight starts and came away with a 2.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 47.2 innings.</p><p>It is perhaps fair to expect to see Lance McCullers making his first appearance of the season before the end of April. That means he can toe the rubber for the first time this year during any of the upcoming Astros series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Atlanta Braves, and the Philadelphia Phillies.</p><p>Even without Lance McCullers, the Astros’ starters have been decent so far, ranking fifth in the majors with a 3.43 ERA as a group. Nevertheless, Houston can certainly use some help from McCullers, who signed a five-year deal worth $85 million with the Astros back in 2021.</p><p>The Astros, who are coming off a 9-1 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday, will look to sustain their momentum and aim for a three-game win streak when they welcome the Blue Jays this Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lance McCullers’ surprise injury update will put fans at ease amid early struggles

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-provides-encouraging-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lance McCullers Jr provides encouraging injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Lance-McCullers-Jr.-provides-encouraging-injury-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Lance McCullers Jr provides encouraging injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-14T07:01:49-07:00">March 14th, 7:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-14T07:01:49-07:00">March 14th, 7:01am</time><address><a href="https://muckrack.com/alex-sabri">Alex Sabri</a>Alex Sabri started as an Associate Editor for Cavs Nation and ClutchPoints in November 2022. He has over three years of collegiate and professional sports and local journalism experience. Though he covers various sports and general assignments for ClutchPoints, he specializes in covering the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Central Division basketball, NFL football and Big Ten basketball and football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1635635436218462212" rel="noopener">he would play catch</a> for the third time tomorrow at low intensity, MLB.com Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart wrote in a Tuesday tweet.</p><p>He will do so every other day. He is dealing with a low-grade strain in his forearm muscle.</p><p>“They hesitate to even call it a strain,” he said.</p><p>Astros manager Dusty Baker said McCullers Jr was still not throwing last week after initial concerns came to the surface when Baker revealed McCullers Jr. was going to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-still-not-throwing-amid-injury" rel="noopener">“temporarily” shut down</a> from throwing early in Spring Training.</p><p>“Opening day is out of the question,” McCullers Jr said. “I’ve been a little bit upset. I was really looking forward to a great start to the camp and great start to the season. Any time this happens, it’s very frustrating for me and the team and the fanbase.”</p><p>Lance McCullers Jr logged seven seasons with the Astros after he was drafted in the first round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft. He earned a 49-32 record and a 3.48 ERA, peaking at a 13-5 record in 28 starts during the 2021 season. He took seventh place in American League Cy Young voting that year, taking spots behind New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón, White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn and Seattle Mariners left-hander Robbie Ray.</p><p>McCullers Jr took a spot in the All-Star game in 2015, when the 23-year-old right-hander took home a 7-4 record in 22 starts, along with a 4.25 ERA.</p><p>Astros left fielder Michael Brantley was able to return to camp on Monday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-michael-brantley-gets-opening-day-injury-update-from-dusty-baker" rel="noopener">Baker said Brantley’s chances</a> of being active for the team’s season debut “will be close.”</p><p>“It’s going to be really close, to be there Opening Day or shortly thereafter, a week after, tops,” Brown said last week. “We don’t know where that is. I’m hoping no later than April 10 with him.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
3	0.00	0	0.00	0

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
3	0.00	0	0.00	0

Lance McCullers

Latest Lance McCullers News

Astros dealt devastating Lance McCullers injury update

Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr suffers yet another injury setback

Astros reveal firm Lance McCullers Jr. return timeline

Lance McCullers’ surprise injury update will put fans at ease amid early struggles

Lance McCullers Jr provides encouraging injury update

Lance
McCullers