Lance McCullers Jr. (30, Houston Astros), who only played 8 games last year, broke again. McCullers Jr. is out of the opening roster.
American sports channel ESPN said on the 23rd (Korean time) that McCullers Jr. will not be able to join the 2023 season opening roster due to elbow pain.
McCullers Jr. recently felt pain in his elbow and had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan taken, and was diagnosed with a muscle strain. Fortunately, it was not a structural problem. 메이저놀이터
However, it seems that the Houston team chose to leave the opening roster for McCullers Jr.’s full recovery. A more solid comeback is needed.
McCullers Jr., who will be in his 8th year in the major leagues, threw 162 1/3 innings in 28 games in the 2021 season, going 13-5 with an ERA of 3.16.
McCullers Jr. is definitely an all-star right-handed starting pitcher. However, due to his frequent injuries, he has not pitched more than 30 games since his major league debut in 2015.
His injuries are also varied. He was injured in several places including his shoulder, elbow, back and neck. In particular, after the 2018 season, he underwent elbow ligament splicing surgery (Tommy John surgery).
McCullers Jr. is currently projected to be Houston’s third starter. It is in the order after Framber Valdes (30) and Christian Javier (26).
Houston is a team that is strong enough to be evaluated as having a strong chance of winning the World Series for the second time in a row. McCullers Jr. has to support Valdez and Javier in order for the results to come out on their own.