Won't be ready for Opening Day McCullers (forearm) said Wednesday that he won't be ready to pitch at the start of the regular season after he underwent an MRI on Tuesday that revealed a "small muscle strain," Ch... Impact Fortunately for McCullers, his MRI showed no structural damage to his forearm/elbow, but he'll still be shut down for at least the next couple of weeks on account of the muscle strain. The right-hander still believes that he'll be able to reach 150 innings this season, but his delayed start in making his 2023 debut means that he'll likely need to avoid any further setbacks with the elbow in addition to any other injury concerns in the months to come. With the depature of Justin Verlander this offseason via free agency, the depth of the Astros' rotation will be tested early in the campaign, though Houston has plenty of talented young arms to turn to in McCullers' stead. Hunter Brown is the most likely candidate to replace McCullers in the starting rotation early in the campaign, having produced a 0.89 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 22 punchouts over 20.1 innings in seven appearances (including two starts) in his first major-league action last season. A clearer timeline for McCullers' season debut should come once he resumes throwing and starts facing hitters again, something that could happen late in spring training.
FEBRUARY 22, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
