Astros' Lance McCullers Jr. Out for Rest of Season After Surgery on Forearm Injury

Lance McCullers Jr. will not pitch this season.

The Houston Astros right-hander has been ruled out for the 2023 campaign after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to repair the flexor tendon and remove a bone spur from his right forearm, the club announced Wednesday.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said in a statement:

"After the injury happened in February, Lance worked his tail off to get back on the mound. 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." "

McCullers originally injured his forearm during Game 4 of the 2021 American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox and reaggravated the ailment while throwing a bullpen session in February.

The 29-year-old also missed most of the 2022 campaign with the flexor tendon injury. In eight games last season, he posted a 4-2 record, 2.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 50 strikeouts in 47.2 innings.

McCullers has spent his entire nine-year career in Houston, helping the Astros capture World Series titles in 2017 and 2022. One of his best seasons came in 2021 when he posted a 13-5 record, 3.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 162.1 innings across 28 starts.

This will be the second season McCullers loses due to injury. He also missed the entire 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Losing McCullers for the entire 2023 season is a tough blow for the Astros, especially with both José Urquidy and Luis Garcia on the injured list.

Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown and J.P. France have held down the Houston rotation this season.

The Astros enter Wednesday night's game against the Washington Nationals with a 38-29 record and sit second in the American League West, 3.5 games back of the first-place Texas Rangers.