Lance McCullers Jr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. was reportedly receiving threats following a horrendous outing during Saturday's game. The right-hander received threats to himself and his family after McCullers struggled on Saturday. McCullers allowed seven runs and was only able to record one out before being taken out of the game. Afterwards, the Astros needed to notify the police department and Major League Baseball about the threats towards McCullers. The MLB is currently looking into the threats, but haven't said much more about the situation. There should be zero tolerance for this in baseball, so hopefully the MLB is able to do something about the situation.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The former No. 41 overall pick allowed three hits, struck out four, issued three free passes, and hit one batter over 3 2/3 innings (87 pitches, 51 strikes). McCullers Jr. had a clean third inning where he retired the side in order, though he otherwise had runners crowding the base paths. Fortunately, he escaped trouble until he was pulled in the fourth. It wasn't a very efficient outing, but overall solid considering the last time he pitched in live action was the 2022 World Series. The 31-year-old touched 93.8 MPH with his sinker on a few occasions and picked up the second-most swings-and-misses of all pitchers in the contest (six). If the Astros stick to a five-man rotation, McCullers Jr. would pitch again next weekend against the Cincinnati Reds, though that isn't a guarantee.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) will make his 2025 season debut on Sunday in Chicago against the White Sox, according to the Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara. It's an excellent matchup for his season debut, but fantasy managers need to remember that this will be McCullers' first big-league start since the World Series in 2022. The 31-year-old veteran started facing live hitters back in February and posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and six walks in four minor-league rehab starts over 12 2/3 innings with Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land. He threw five scoreless innings over 71 pitches in his final rehab start last Saturday, so he should be built up to go fairly deep this weekend. McCullers was fantasy relevant in all leagues before his forearm injuries set in, but his upside could be limited as the Astros handle him carefully.