Astros GM drops huge Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr. injury updates
01/25/2025 02:42 PM
The Houston Astros are coming off a disappointing 2024 campaign where they lost in the AL Wild Card. Injuries were an unfortunate reality for the ball club throughout the campaign as well. Luis Garcia barely didn’t pitch at all in ’24, while Lance McCullers Jr. hasn’t taken the mound since 2022.
However, Astros GM Dana Brown offered a promising update on the two on Saturday.
Via Chandler Rome:
“Astros GM Dana Brown said neither Luis Garcia nor Lance McCullers Jr. will be ready for Opening Day, but both are throwing and looking good. Brown hinted that both pitchers could be ready shortly after the season begins.”
While not being ready to roll for Opening Day isn’t ideal, it sounds like both starters should be back in action not long after that. Garcia had Tommy John in May of 2023 and was expected to pitch at some point last season, but he dealt with numerous setbacks in his recovery.
As for McCullers Jr., he had surgery on a right flexor strain in ’23 and was expected to return at some point in ’24, but it never happened. Garcia and McCullers were mainstays in the Astros rotation. It’ll be nice to have them in the mix again.
However, patience is likely growing thin with McCullers Jr. Since signing an $85 million extension across five years in 2021, he’s only made 41 appearances. That includes the playoffs. The right-hander hasn’t been in a game since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series.
The injuries don’t stop there, either. The Astros lost Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy to Tommy John last June, while Justin Verlander didn’t return until late in the season due to an injury as well. It’s frankly a miracle they even made the postseason at all.
Houston’s roster will have a much different look in 2025. They traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs this winter, while Brown said that re-signing Alex Bregman remains a long shot. He’s one of the premier free agents left on the open market.
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