A year ago, Lance McCullers Jr. was the ace of the Astros pitching staff.
Before suffering a forearm injury during the American League Division Series, McCullers had been the anchor of what was a highly inconsistent starting rotation during the 2021 postseason, as he allowed just one run in his two starts (10 2⁄3 innings).
The 2017 All-Star quite literally gave it his all in last year’s ALDS, and it may now unfairly cost him a year later.
McCullers has rejoined the Astros rotation after being forced to miss the first four-plus months of the 2022 season.