In what's unfortunately an all-too-familiar sight for Houston Astros fans, Lance McCullers Jr is on the road to recovery again. A few days ago, the right-handed pitcher was sent to the injured list due to a blister on his hand. This was the latest addition to the long list of injuries that McCullers has dealt with over the course of his career.

After a brief stint in the IL, McCullers is now taking the next step in his return. The veteran pitcher will be making a rehab start for Houston's Triple-A affiliate Sugar Land Space Cowboys tonight.

To say that McCullers has had a tumultuous 2025 season would be a massive understatement. He's pitched in just 11 games this season, recording just 44 1/3 innings total in those games. The Astros righty has gotten lit up in the games he's pitched in, sporting a disastrous 6.90 ERA with 50 strikeouts.

In his last start before being sent to the IL, McCullers gave up four runs on five hits against division rivals Seattle Mariners. The Astros righty was pulled before the third inning even ended. That's been the story of McCullers' season so far, as he's given up at least four runs in his last five starts. That includes a brutal eight-run disaster against the Chicago Cubs, where he gave up seven hits and three home runs.

A former All-Star and part of the Astros' two championships in recent memory, this performance is emblematic of the pitcher's struggles over the last few years. In fact, McCullers did not play in the last three seasons for the Astros, with his last full season coming in 2022. It's truly unfortunate to see the 2017 All-Star fall this hard in the last few years.

Aside from McCullers, the Astros have a few more pitchers who are looking to return from their injuries. Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, and JP France are on their rehab stints, with Javier set to pitch in Triple-A as well soon. Despite the injuries, the Astros still hold a slim one-game lead over the Mariners in the race for the AL West title. If Houston wants to hold on to that home-field advantage, they will need their best pitchers to return… and for McCullers' form to improve sooner rather than later.

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