Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. is not on the team's roster for the American League Championship Series against the Red Sox, ending 48 hours of speculation surrounding his status and sending Houston's starting rotation into a state of uncertainty.
McCullers underwent an MRI when the team returned home. Neither general manager James Click nor manager Dusty Baker revealed the results of it on Thursday.
The team is carrying 13 pitchers for the seven-game series against Boston. Veteran starter Jake Odorizzi and lefthanded reliever Blake Taylor are the two new additions that did not make the ALDS roster.
McCullers underwent Tommy John surgery in Nov. 2018 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. After departing Tuesday’s game, McCullers said he didn’t believe the injury “has anything to do with my ligament.”
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After signing a five-year, $85 million contract extension during the spring, McCullers threw a career-high 162 ⅓ innings in the regular season — his first full slate since the operation — and finished second among qualified American League starters with a 3.16 ERA. McCullers struck out 185 batters and led the American League by allowing just 6.8 hits per nine innings. His loss is a devastating blow to Houston’s hopes against the Red Sox.
The Astros have enough bodies to replace McCullers, but his quality and durability will be difficult to replicate. He threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in the team's Game 1 victory against Chicago. Neither of its other two starters finished more than 4 1/3 frames.
Houston will turn to Odorizzi, Cristian Javier and Zack Greinke to piece together a now-patchwork rotation against the Red Sox. Neither Javier nor Greinke is stretched out beyond 40 or 50 pitches, though, meaning the Astros need some creativity to cover innings.
The Astros did carry center fielder Jake Meyers on their ALCS roster after he departed Game 4 of the ALDS with a left shoulder injury. Meyers made the roster in addition to Jose Siri, perhaps an indication that Meyers is still suffering some side effects from his crash into the wall. Garrett Stubbs, Houston's third catcher, did not make the ALCS roster after being included on the ALDS group.
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