Astros Will Face of Ace of Division Rival Mariners After He Was Activated off IL

The former 20th overall pick was shut down at the beginning of March after experiencing shoulder pain in his throwing arm. Following three rehab outings where his fastball sat around 96 mph, manager Dan Wilson announced Kirby's return to the team.

The ace's insertion back into Seattle's rotation comes after co-ace Logan Gilbert suffered setbacks in his recovery from a Grade 1 flexor strain that occurred during a start against the Miami Marlins on April 25.

The Astros will match Kirby with Lance McCullers Jr. (0-1, 7.88 ERA) in the series opener.

Fresh off his longest start of the season (four innings), McCullers is still working his way to getting back to his old self following a flurry of injuries that kept him off an MLB mound since the 2022 World Series.

He underwent elbow surgery in June of 2023 and suffered multiple setbacks that delayed his return to May 4 of this season.

Houston dropped the first series of the 2025 campaign against its AL West rival, losing two of three at T-Mobile Park.

All three games were tightly contested, all being decided by one run, capped off by a bases-loaded, walk-off walk drawn by Randy Arozarena in the finale.

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