It is no secret that Lance McCullers Jr. hasn’t looked particularly sharp as a starting pitcher this season, at least for the majority of his starts. Other than a quality pair of back-to-back appearances against the A’s and Pirates back in late May to early June, the right-hander has proven inconsistent at best (6.89 ERA and 5.79 FIP in 48 1/3 innings). A far cry from his last healthy season way back in 2021, when he posted a 3.16 ERA and 3.52 FIP in 162 1/3 innings. Since then, he has undergone more arm surgeries in addition to a lengthy rehab process that sidelined him for most of 2022, in addition to all of 2023 and 2024. He also started this season on the IL with another couple of stints in the meantime, with the last two being unrelated to his arm, once for a right foot injury that occurred in the weight room and the last one due to a right-finger blister.
Numerous fans and analysts alike have long clamored for McCullers to make the transition to relief for years. I mean, you can’t post about McCullers online without someone eventually stating that they wish he were moved to the bullpen years ago. There is a certain logic to that thought, even as annoying as the reminders became, once the injuries entered the picture. But the veteran right-hander and the Astros have long avoided that conversion, other than a brief stint in 2018.
Lo and behold, we’re about to see McCullers in the bullpen once again, but, thankfully, without a torn UCL. It also appears that this new role is a short-term one, according to Joe Espada.
This is an interesting decision on several different levels. McCullers was vocal with his thoughts back in Spring Training following Dana Brown’s comments about the possibility of him being utilized as a reliever this season. Needless to say, he didn’t sound open to it at the time. Considering how Espada framed this decision in the short term, even leaving open the possibility that he starts against the Angels on Monday, I don’t see how the Astros would plan to utilize him other than in a longer relief role. In other words, don’t expect McCullers to slide into a late-inning role where he maxes out for an inning at a time.
Whether this temporary assignment yields any productive results remains to be seen, though. I like the idea of McCullers in relief in the long term, especially considering his velocity remains down, and he has had issues generating swinging strikes.
Although 48 1/3 innings is a small sample, this kind of velocity decline, along with the lack of an effective fastball, invites further discussion about the best role for not only McCullers but also what benefits the team. He does have two years and $34 million (in AAV) remaining on his contract, so it isn’t like he is going anywhere, unless the organization wants to move on entirely. But based on the level of commitment this season, I doubt that is the case, at least in this upcoming offseason. I do wonder if the organization will eventually have to approach him about a short relief role, an assignment that’ll allow his best pitches (slider and curveball) to flourish while possibly improving his fastballs. It has worked for other pitchers in the past, and it might do so for him. A long relief role right now may prove beneficial, to be clear. Personally, though, I have doubts.