Lance McCullers Jr.’s Injury Highlights Astros Biggest Problems

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) walks off the mound after a pitching change. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Lance McCullers Jr.’s Injury Highlights Astros Biggest Problems

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Seth Dowdle | Last updated May 20, 2026 9:00 AM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

It’s officially time to tear it all down.

Some might say that’s an overreaction to Lance McCullers Jr., a pitcher who’s had middling results at best throughout the twilight seasons of his career, going on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.

But it’s how a lot of Houston Astros fans feel at the moment. Heck, they might’ve been feeling like that already, and now it’s just amped up to the maximum.

The Astros are in trouble, and they have been for a long time. McCullers Jr. going down, leaving the starting rotation in dire straits, is the death blow to a team that’s been hanging onto relevancy ever since Dusty Baker decided to call it quits following the 2023 season.

Yes, McCullers Jr.’s absence is not even close to being the sole reason for distress. The Astros have been on the struggle bus ever since the first pitch of 2026. Whether it be terrible pitching or untimely offensive lapses, Houston has been in the dumps for a month and a half with no answers.

It’s just that McCullers Jr. going down in sudden fashion — he was scratched from his start with mere hours to spare before the Astros’ contest with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday — epitomizes how quickly this franchise collapse has occurred.

One moment, everything was fine. The next, calamity and disaster.

McCullers Jr.’s Injury Exposes Houston’s Fragile Foundation

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

What would tearing it all down even look like? Does that mean trading every valuable piece at the deadline? Does it mean ejecting manager Joe Espada and the rest of the coaching staff? What about the front office? Is general manager Dana Brown the real culprit for the continued failures?

The answer is yes — to all of it. Tear it down. Scrub it clean. Start over.

The Astros have been infected with the worst disease of them all: irrelevancy. Because let’s be honest, when was the last time the Astros fit into the national landscape of baseball?

Was it when they choked a 3-2 series advantage over the rival Texas Rangers in the 2023 ALCS?

Was it when they lost to the underdog Detroit Tigers in the 2024 Wild Card round?

Was it when they missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years in 2025?

Or was it when everybody collectively laughed at the fact that the Astros are one of the worst teams in MLB?

If being a laughingstock is owner Jim Crane’s goal, then he’s doing a great job. It’s on him and the rest of the organization to get out of this slump — and to do it soon.

It’s not McCullers Jr.’s fault that he got hurt. But it is the fault of the Astros for putting themselves in a position where his injury brings such misfortune to an important aspect of the team. For that, everyone must go.

This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: