April 30, 2025 12:22 PM : McCullers (forearm) will return from the 15-day injured list Sunday and will start in the Astros' series finale against the White Sox in Chicago, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Analysis: McCullers will be taking the hill for the Astros for the first time since the 2022 World Series, after a prolonged recovery from June 2023 flexor tendon surgery kept him out of action for the entirety of the past two seasons. The right-hander was cleared to resume facing hitters in late February and steadily ramped up to close out spring training before beginning a minor-league rehab assignment March 30. Across four starts between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, McCullers logged a 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 16:6 K:BB in 12.2 frames, including a five-inning scoreless appearance in his final outing Saturday. He built up to 71 pitches in that start, so McCullers could be operating with a slight workload restriction in his 2025 Astros debut. Houston may also be keen on building extra rest for McCullers between starts, so it wouldn't be surprising if the team expanded its rotation to six men for the next few weeks.