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Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. has season-ending surgery on lingering arm injury

callie lawson-freeman
Contributing writer
·2 min read
5
Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. throws against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 11, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday on a lingering right arm injury that has sidelined him all season.

The Astros announced the news in a statement Wednesday, adding that the procedure was done to repair the right-hander's flexor tendon and remove a bone spur.

After originally injuring his tendon during the 2021 American League Division Series, McCullers is expected to be ready to return for the 2024 season.

He missed most of last season because of the flexor tendon injury, going 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA in eight regular-season starts and 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in three postseason starts.

The 29-year-old aggravated the 2021 injury during spring training, sustaining a muscle strain that he and the team began to rehab in February.

Last month, Astros GM Dana Brown said the aim was to have McCullers back sometime near the All-Star break, but he faced some setbacks as he worked toward that goal. The team went from adjusting his training to fully shutting him down on behalf of his lingering pain.

"After the injury happened in February, Lance worked his tail off to get back on the mound," Brown said in Wednesday's statement. "This guy is a warrior and did everything in his power to get back. But each time he built himself up to an increased pitch total off the mound, the pain would come back. It's unfortunate, but we look forward to him being back on the mound next season."

McCullers also missed the entire 2019 season after Tommy John surgery.

Over his nine-year career with the Astros, the 2017 All-Star has a 49-32 record. He has a 3.48 ERA, 800 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP in 718 2/3 innings.