Luckily for the 2022 Houston Astros, good fortune in health has mostly been on their side. Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Jake Odorizzi, and Ryan Pressly are some key players who have spent time on the Injured List. However, other than Odorizzi, their stays on the IL were relatively short. Two other key players have spent time on the IL but have been there for an extended time. Lance McCullers Jr. has not pitched in the majors this season, and Michael Brantley has been out for over a month. Here is an Astros injury update on the two recovering veterans.
McCullers Jr. Update
McCullers Jr. has been out since the 2021 postseason with a forearm injury. It has been a long and gruelling recovery process for the pitcher, but an end is finally in sight. According to Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle, McCullers Jr. is set to make another rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land. If the veteran comes out feeling good, he will make one more start on Sunday. After next Sunday’s start, the Astros will evaluate whether or not McCullers Jr. is ready to return to the team. If everything goes well in these two starts, McCullers Jr. could pitch in the big leagues in about two weeks.
Brantley Update
The Astros injury update regarding Brantley is not as positive as the news around McCullers Jr. Brantley was placed on the Injured List at the end of June due to a shoulder issue. The 35-year-old’s recovery has been slower than the team expected. Brantley has not started swinging again, leaving a return date in the air. When the veteran starts swinging again, he will likely need to embark on a rehab assignment. With this in mind, we may not see Brantley in an Astros uniform for quite a while. It remains to be seen whether Brantley’s injury will impact the Astros’ trade deadline plans in the next few days.
Main Image
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Jake Odorizzi, Ryan Pressly, Lance McCullers Jr., Michael Brantley
