PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 01: Lance McCullers Jr. #43 of the Houston Astros reacts giving up three runs against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning in Game Three of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 01, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Houston Astros star pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. will miss the 2023 season after receiving forearm surgery to repair a flexor tendon and remove a bone spur. McCullers has only made 34 starts since 2021 but is expected to return in 2024.
Astros general manager Dana Brown announced McCullers’ injury update Wednesday and clarified in a statement that the righthander made several attempts to return to the mound in 2023. He first suffered the injury to his flexor tendon during the 2021 playoffs and has suffered multiple setbacks since, most recently in February this year. He previously missed the entire 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery.
“After the injury happened in February, Lance worked his tail off to get back on the mound,” Brown said in a 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.”
In 2022, McCullers returned in August and made eight regular season starts, compiling a 4-2 record with a 2.27 ERA. In the playoffs, he started in series against the Mariners, Yankees and Phillies, earning another World Series ring in the process. He has spent the entirety of his professional career in Houston, debuting in 2015 and making on one All-Star game appearance in 2017.
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“Lance is a grinder, and he tried to, with pure grit, fight through the injury and come back,” Brown went on to say. “That happened in ’21, and in ’22, he ended up coming back some. You could give him cheers for his grit to come back. Starting out this year, he felt like he was going to be fine and continue to press through it and it continued to bother him.”
By the time McCullers returns for the Astros next year, he could be 30 years old, and despite debuting at the age of 21, he has only managed to make more than 25 starts in a single season once. His impact on the mound after multiple surgeries is unclear and he still has several years remaining on his contract.
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