Lance McCullers Jr. Fantasy Stats

The Milwaukee Brewers are acquiring veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (shoulder) from the Houston Astros on Wednesday, a source told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. It's unclear what the Astros are receiving in return. McCullers could be on the verge of coming off the 15-day injured list due to a right-shoulder impingement that has kept him sidelined since the middle of May. The 32-year-old has made three minor-league rehab starts already and might only need one more before Milwaukee activates him for the second half of the season. Arm injuries have been the story of McCullers' career. He missed all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with arm troubles before posting a rough 6.51 ERA in 16 appearances for Houston in his return last year. The former first-rounder from 2012 could be an option for the Brewers' banged-up starting rotation in the second half, but fantasy managers should look to stay away. Before getting hurt again in 2026, McCullers was 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 22 walks in 39 1/3 innings across eight starts in his ninth year in the majors.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (shoulder) is going on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with right-shoulder inflammation, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. McCullers was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday on the road against the Minnesota Twins with a shoulder issue that manager Joe Espada said McCullers has been dealing with for a while. He will now miss at least the next two weeks and will be sent back to Houston to be evaluated. Given the 32-year-old veteran's lengthy injury history, it would not be a surprise if he faces an extended absence. McCullers is not worth stashing in mixed fantasy leagues while he recovers, and he's only rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues at the moment. In his eight starts for Houston so far in 2026, McCullers struggled to a 6.86 ERA (5.06 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 22 walks across 39 1/3 innings pitched. It remains to be seen who might replace McCullers in the team's starting rotation going forward.

The Houston Astros announced that right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (undisclosed) has been scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday in Minnesota against the Twins for undisclosed reasons. Right-hander Jason Alexander will start in his place. Fantasy managers will want to check back later for a reason why McCullers won't make his start at Target Field. The 32-year-old veteran and former first-rounder in 2012 hasn't really been consistent enough to be rostered in mixed fantasy leagues, as he entered the day with a 2-3 record, 6.86 ERA (5.06 FIP), and 1.52 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 22 walks in 39 1/3 innings pitched across his eight starts in 2026. The oft-injured hurler did bounce back in his last outing on May 13 against the Seattle Mariners, allowing two earned runs while walking two and striking out six in 5 1/3 innings of work, but he's only had quality starts in two of his eight appearances so far this year. McCuller is currently rostered in under 10% of Yahoo leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (finger) was pulled from his start early on Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning, and The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported that McCullers was looking down at his finger before manager Joe Espada and a trainer came out to check on him. McCullers has dealt with blister issues in the past, as well as several arm injuries that derailed his career for quite some time. It was a rough outing for the 32-year-old veteran before being pulled, as he allowed six earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out four in just 2 2/3 innings against the first-place Dodgers to pick up his third loss of the year. The poor outing raised McCullers' ERA to 7.41 in seven starts this year. The former first-rounder in 2012 will be droppable in most leagues if he finds his way to the injured list. McCullers is only rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues right now.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. is still looking to settle into the 2026 season after a rough outing on Saturday against the Mariners in which he allowed six runs on five hits. McCullers has been riddled with injuries in recent seasons and is aiming to complete his first full campaign since 2021. He now holds a 5.87 ERA through three starts as he works to regain his previous form. The 32-year-old is in his 11th season with Houston and is expected to make his next start on Thursday. Fantasy managers should monitor McCullers closely, as his talent level remains high if he can find consistency.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. is fully healthy to begin the 2026 season and was dominant in his first start of the year in an 8-1 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Monday evening. McCullers allowed just one earned run on four hits while walking one and striking out nine in seven innings of work for his first victory. The 32-year-old veteran was in complete control and induced 17 swings and misses. It was the first time that McCullers went seven innings in a game since 2022. Arm injuries have derailed the former first-rounder's career in Houston in recent seasons, but he was an All-Star in 2017, and his strikeout upside and strong ground-ball rate could quickly make him attractive off the waiver wire in fantasy leagues if he keeps this up. McCullers' next scheduled outing won't be an easy one against a power A's lineup. He's currently rostered in just 10% of Yahoo leagues.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. has made the Opening Day rotation, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. McCullers has been with the Astros since he made his MLB debut in 2015, but he didn't pitch at all in 2023 or 2024. He returned to action last year, making 16 appearances (13 starts) in the majors with a shaky 5.77 FIP, 6.34 BB/9, and 1.63 HR/9. He struck out batters at a modest clip of 9.92 K/9, but his ground ball rate dropped to a new career-low mark of 46.4%. His job was far from guaranteed coming out of spring training, but ultimately, it appears that he has won the No. 5 starter role. With that being said, he'll need to pitch well -- or, at least, better than last year -- to survive a full season in the rotation. He showed flashes of improvement this spring with a 3.38 ERA, as well as reduced walk and home run rates. However, he racked up just 5.63 K/9 and a 40.9% ground ball rate, albeit over a small sample size.

Houston Astros starting pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Spencer Arrighetti have the inside track on claiming starting rotation spots to open the season, but it's expected to be a top spring training battle to watch. The Astros are going with a six-man rotation to accommodate Tatsuya Imai's arrival from Japan and a busy early-season schedule. Hunter Brown, Imai, Mike Burrows, and Cristian Javier are almost guaranteed to be in the rotation, with Arrighetti, McCullers, Ryan Weiss, Jason Alexander, Nate Pearson, Colton Gordon, and AJ Blubaugh all in the mix for the other spots. Arrighetti and McCullers have the most MLB experience, and Pearson is still returning from a "cleanup" on his elbow. While the competition will be exciting to watch this spring, the depth is outstanding for the Astros since they've dealt with so many starting pitcher injuries in the last few seasons.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and will be built up as a starter during spring training, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. McCullers, one of the most injury-prone pitchers in baseball, returned to the Astros in 2025 after missing two full seasons following surgery on his right forearm. The 32-year-old veteran went on the injured list three separate times last year and appeared in 16 games (13 starts), going 2-5 with a 6.51 ERA (5.77 FIP) and 1.81 WHIP with 61 strikeouts and 39 walks in 55 1/3 innings. Perhaps McCullers will be more effective another year removed from his flexor-tendon surgery, but at this point, it's hard to imagine him making it through a full season with a starter's workload. He does a good job of keeping the ball out of the air, but his serious durability concerns will keep most fantasy managers far away, even in the deepest of formats.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (hand) went on the 15-day injured list last Friday with right-hand soreness, and he might not be able to return before the end of the regular season. "There's a chance that this is the last that we've seen of him," general manager Dana Brown said. "Is it possible he could get back for the last couple of games? There's probably an outside chance, but highly unlikely." The Athletic's Chandler Rome writes there are "few permutations" that exist where McCullers is a logical fit for potential playoff rosters, too. The 31-year-old just hasn't been able to stay healthy and had a 6.88 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in his 52 1/3 innings for the Astros this season. His usage before his injury came as basically a last resort out of the bullpen. McCullers will need a completely healthy offseason -- something he hasn't had since 2021 -- to have any hope of bouncing back next year.