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

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) will throw his final live bullpen session on Wednesday before making his spring debut. McCullers has been sidelined since the 2022 season since undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon and remove a bone spur from his right forearm. However, it appears McCullers is nearing the end of his lengthy recovery process. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status after Wednesday's bullpen session as he could be cleared to make his spring debut shortly after. Even though the 31-year-old will open the season on the injured list, he may not miss much time in the regular season given his current status. In the 2022 season, the 31-year-old logged 47 2/3 innings with a strong 2.27 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP. When he does return to the bump, he should have a role in the starting rotation.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (elbow) threw a successful live bullpen session on Friday. The right-hander threw around 20 pitches without any issues, so McCullers might not need many more throwing sessions. The team plans to have McCullers throw one more bullpen session before possibly getting him into game action. The hope is that the right-hander will be able to pitch in the Astros rotation by the end of April or early May.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) threw around 23 or 24 pitches in his second live batting practice session of camp on Friday and said it went well. McCullers' first live batting practice session came last Saturday, and he was able to mix in his curveball, sinker and changeup in addition to his fastball. It's good news for the 31-year-old oft-injured hurler, but he still has a ways to go before fantasy managers will take notice. McCullers is hoping to have three more live BP sessions before potentially getting into a Grapefruit League game before the end of spring training. He did not pitch at all in 2024 while recovering from flexor tendon surgery on his right forearm and has not pitched in a big-league game since the 2022 World Series. McCullers was a dependable rotation arm for Houston before his injuries, but now he's just hoping to return to a major-league mound after multiple arm surgeries.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) threw live batting practice on Saturday. The right-hander threw 20 pitches and hit 94.7 mph on his fastball. He was able to mix in his curveball, changeup, and sinker. The 31-year-old underwent surgery to repair a flexor tendon. He faced a setback last season but appears to be on track to return to the big league mound. The 31-year-old last saw MLB action during the 2022 campaign. During this season, McCullers held a 2.27 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP across 47 2/3 innings. He tallied 50 punchouts. In 2021, McCullers posted a 3.16 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP across a career-high 162 1/3 innings of work. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression as he could be nearing his Grapefruit League debut. When cleared to return, he should earn a spot in the starting rotation.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Saturday in camp for the first time since recovering from surgery that he had in June of 2023 to fix his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur. It's been a long time coming for the 31-year-old hurler, but he's already been ruled out for Opening Day and really cannot be trusted in fantasy until he's actually back on the mound performing in big league games. Hopefully we'll get a look at McCullers in Grapefruit League games later this spring, but it's hard to have any expectations for an injury-plagued pitcher that hasn't pitched in an MLB game since the World Series in 2022. McCullers should be in Houston's rotation in 2025 if he's actually healthy, but given all the time he's missed the last few years, the upside will be limited because of what will be a strict innings limit.