Astros Skipper Says Lance McCullers Jr. Could Return Saturday

The Houston Astros have managed to put together an impressive run of baseball lately, and despite missing quite a few starting pitchers, have had some strong performances in the last month or so.

With a 47-33 record, they have found their stride and sit 5.5 games in the lead of the American League West ahead of Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

One of the players who has struggled with injury setbacks is Lance McCullers Jr., who was placed on the 15-day injured list back on June 13 with a sprained foot.

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Injuries have made it difficult for him to get on the mound in recent seasons, but the good news is he has already played in 2025 by making seven starts and throwing 29.1 innings.

While he unfortunately has had to miss some additional time with that foot injury, it seems as though the stint on the injured list could be coming to a wrap soon.

In a recent update provided by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, he noted that McCullers did some pitcher fielding drills on Thursday and that manager Joe Espada said it "went well." Additionally, it was noted that if McCullers feels good on Friday, he could be an "option" to start Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs.

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As of now, the starting rotation for that series is set with the exception of the Saturday matchup, which is still listed as to be announced.

It will be intriguing to see the update on Friday and if McCullers will be ready to go by then. If so, getting him back into the rotation and on the mound would be huge as the team works through the summer months.

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In his seven starts so far this season, he has struggled a bit with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.432 WHIP. But that is somewhat expected from someone who missed a substantial time to recover from his long-term injuries that kept him out since the 2022 World Series before his return this year.

Hopefully, he can find his past form during the latter portion of the season and be a reliable starting option for Houston down the stretch.

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