HOUSTON -- The wait is over for veteran Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
McCullers, who hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series in Philadelphia, will return to the mound Sunday at Rate Field in Chicago to start the final game of the Astros’ three-game series against the White Sox.
“It’s a day I’ve waited for for a long time,” McCullers said Wednesday before the Astros' 7-4 loss to the Tigers. “It feels like I’m making my debut in some aspects. It’s been a really long road for me. I thank my teammates, coaching staff and the Astros organization for standing by me and supporting me. I’m excited to just kind of get this type of stuff done with and just get back into the flow of pitching for this team.”
McCullers, who underwent surgery in June 2023 to repair a flexor tendon and suffered a setback last season, returned to throw in a game during Grapefruit League play and pitched four rehab starts in the Minor Leagues. He threw in the bullpen Sunday morning with manager Joe Espada watching closely.
“He was excited,” Espada said. “I thought his stuff looked good. I am really looking forward to having him on the mound Sunday. He’s worked his tail off to get back to this point and this whole entire team and the city should be excited to get Lance back.”
McCullers 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 in Chicago and spent most of the next season rehabbing. He returned to throw at the end of ‘22, but hasn’t thrown in a meaningful game since giving up five homers in Game 3 of the 2022 Fall Classic.
“Obviously, it’s been a long layoff for me and there’s probably going to be things I have to work through and kind of get my feet back under me and things of that nature,” McCullers said. “I feel like I’m in as good of a spot as I can be coming out of rehab games and I’m excited for Sunday.”
McCullers isn’t the same pitcher he was 2 1/2 years ago. He admits he’s not going to be able to throw 97, 98 mph anymore, and he’s shortened his mechanics some to be more compact. He’ll still be the same competitor that helped the Astros win the World Series in 2017 and was a cornerstone player during Houston’s impressive run over the last decade.
“As you get old, as a pitcher, as a competitor, you start to understand yourself, you start to understand how to pitch,” he said. “I have more pitches now, per se. I feel like I have better command and [a] better understanding of how to attack guys.
“I look at other guys around the league I once saw come in throwing 97, 98, 100 -- Nathan Eovaldi is one of them, Sonny Gray is another -- and as things develop over time you just become a new version of yourself, and I’ve had to do that quite a few times. My overall stuff is still there and I’m excited about the full pitching repertoire I have and how I’m going to be able to execute it.”
The addition of McCullers to a rotation anchored by Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco gives the Astros more depth. The team is pushing back Hayden Wesneski’s next start -- he was originally scheduled to start Sunday -- after his velocity was down in his most recent outing. Spencer Arrighetti is on the injured list with a broken thumb.
“I think what I expect from myself is to go out there as often as I can and give our team a chance to win,” McCullers said. “Health-wise, I’m not worried or anything of that nature. I feel like I’m in a very good spot. A lot of guys around the league have had similar surgeries or sometimes similar journeys to me and you’ve got to get over that hump and it feels like your body kind of adapts. I’m hopeful I’m in that spot. We’re at the beginning of May when I make my first start and I feel like I have a really good opportunity to impact this club throughout the season.”