The Houston Astros are setting up for a matchup with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, but plans are changing. The Astros have scratched Lance McCullers Jr from his start with a shoulder injury. Chandler Rome of The Athletic broke the news along with some information about the ailment.

“Lance McCullers Jr. was scratched with shoulder inflammation, Joe Espada said. McCullers is on his way to Houston to be evaluated by team doctors. McCullers has been pitching through this ‘for a while,’ Espada said,” Rome reported.

According to MLB.com’s Patrick Donnelly, Jason Alexander will start the game for the Astros. No, it is not the actor who played George Costanza on Seinfeld, just a guy with the same name. This one is 6’2″ and has allowed ten earned runs in 6.1 innings across two outings.

The 32-year-old McCullers lost all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to injuries and made only 13 starts in 2025. This year, he has made eight starts with a putrid 6.86 ERA. It is unfortunate timing, however, as his most recent start was 5.1 innings of two-run ball against the Seattle Mariners.

The Astros lost the opening game of the Twins series 6-3 on Monday night. That drops them to 19-30 on the season, just 1.5 games above the Los Angeles Angels for the worst record in all of baseball. Carlos Correa is out for the season, Jose Altuve just hit the IL, and Tatsuya Imai has been awful to start his MLB career.

The Astros are getting some solid seasons from Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker, but the dynasty feels over as this season deteriorates. They made the ALCS in seven consecutive seasons, but missed the playoffs last year and are on the fast track to another quiet October.

The Astros finish their series with the Twins before visiting the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Houston Astros are setting up for a matchup with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, but plans are changing. The Astros have scratched Lance McCullers Jr from his start with a shoulder injury. Chandler Rome of The Athletic broke the news along with some information about the ailment. “Lance McCullers Jr.