The Houston Astros expect to get two of their veteran starting pitchers back around the All-Star break this year after they missed extended time in 2023.
This should provide a huge boost to the rotation and pitching staff as a whole.
Rookies Hunter Brown and J.P. France stepped in nicely during the early portion of the season, but struggled down the stretch.
When Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia eventually do return, that gives the Astros more options in their bullpen, whether it's moving the two second-year players there, or working the pair of injured starters back through relief appearances.
Overall, it's been a tough stretch for McCullers.
The star didn't appear until August 2022 because of a flexor tendon strain in his throwing arm. He missed Spring Training once again in 2023 because of a muscle strain in the same arm.
He eventually underwent season-ending surgery in June of that year to repair his flexor tendon and remove a bone spur.
McCullers has been reliant on his curveball throughout his career, but after Tommy John surgery in late 2018, and this most recent recovery, the right-hander thinks he's going to need a new strategy on the mound when he comes back.
"I would like to establish the fastball a little bit more. Maybe work on another pitch or two that's a little bit harder in the zone, where I can stay away from the off-speed. But that's a great weapon for me, so I can't just get rid of it. I wouldn't know how to pitch without it," he said during an appearance on "Foul Territory."
There's a good chance that the 30-year-old isn't the same pitcher as he used to be when he comes back.
Over seven seasons, he's posted a career ERA of 3.48 across 130 appearances and 127 starts primarily using a curveball and pairing that with a fastball touching 97 mph at some points.
His goal is to get it back to the mid-90s, but that also presents a challenge his body might not be able to meet.
McCullers will be a welcomed back with open arms by the Astros when he returns, but the answer about when that might be still remains largely unknown.
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