Out
Injury Forearm
Est. Return 5/1/2023
2022 Stats
W-L
4-2
ERA
2.27
WHIP
1.24
K
50
SV
0
2023 Projections
2023 Fantasy Outlook
The Astros downplayed his injury in the 2021 ALDS, but McCullers revealed in February that he had suffered a strain of the flexor tendon, adding that it was torn partially off the bone. It also came to light that he suffered setbacks over the winter which conspired to delay his season debut until Aug. 13. McCullers showed no ill effects upon his return and finished with a sparkling 2.77 ERA over 10 regular-season starts down the stretch. On a personal level, McCullers' season on a bit of a sour note as he allowed five homers in Game 3 of the World Series, but what's important is that he was still healthy heading into the offseason. After a full offseason of rest, McCullers will likely once again become a darling of the fantasy community. He's battled a myriad of health issues throughout his career, but McCullers has reached 22 starts on four occasions and made 11 starts during the shortened 2020 seasons. When healthy, McCullers will be toeing the rubbers every fifth day for one of the best teams in baseball, if not the best. Read Past Outlooks

Says he has low-grade strain
McCullers revealed Tuesday that he's dealing with a "strain of the forearm muscle, very low grade," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
McCullers added that doctors "were hesitant to even call it a strain." While a bit comforting that the right-hander's strain is minor, it's nonetheless worrisome that he's dealing with it again this spring after it bothered him for much of last season and during the playoffs in 2021. McCullers will play catch again at low intensity Wednesday as he's being ramped back up slowly. It seems a safe bet that he'll miss at least the first month or so of the season.
McCullers added that doctors "were hesitant to even call it a strain." While a bit comforting that the right-hander's strain is minor, it's nonetheless worrisome that he's dealing with it again this spring after it bothered him for much of last season and during the playoffs in 2021. McCullers will play catch again at low intensity Wednesday as he's being ramped back up slowly. It seems a safe bet that he'll miss at least the first month or so of the season.
Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2022 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
93
Last 10 Games
94
Last 5 Games
92
How many pitches does Lance McCullers generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Lance McCullers generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2020
-3%
BAA vs LHP
2022
-36%
BAA vs LHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2020vs Left | .206 | 146 | 70 | 96 | 9 | |||
Since 2020vs Right | .213 | 143 | 47 | 106 | 13 | |||
2022vs Left | .165 | 27 | 16 | 13 | 1 | |||
2022vs Right | .258 | 23 | 6 | 24 | 3 | |||
2021vs Left | .223 | 85 | 45 | 63 | 6 | |||
2021vs Right | .188 | 100 | 31 | 59 | 7 | |||
2020vs Left | .190 | 34 | 9 | 20 | 2 | |||
2020vs Right | .253 | 20 | 10 | 23 | 3 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2020
-32%
ERA at Home
2022
-58%
ERA at Home
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2020Home | 2.69 | 1.07 | 154.0 | 9.2 | 3.5 | ||||
Since 2020Away | 3.95 | 1.42 | 107.0 | 10.4 | 4.7 | ||||
2022Home | 1.50 | 1.03 | 30.0 | 8.7 | 3.9 | ||||
2022Away | 3.57 | 1.58 | 17.2 | 10.7 | 4.6 | ||||
2021Home | 3.51 | 1.19 | 92.1 | 9.4 | 3.9 | ||||
2021Away | 2.70 | 1.26 | 70.0 | 11.4 | 4.6 | ||||
2020Home | 1.42 | 0.76 | 31.2 | 9.4 | 2.0 | ||||
2020Away | 8.84 | 1.86 | 19.1 | 6.5 | 5.1 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Lance McCullers compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.27K/9
9.4BB/9
4.2HR/9
0.8Fastball
93.1 mphERA
2.27WHIP
1.24BABIP
.281GB/FB
1.74Left On Base
88.0%Exit Velocity
81.8 mphBarrels/BBE
2.7%Spin Rate
2473 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
19.7%Swinging Strike
11.2%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
McCullers came into 2021 with a reputation of having as much upside as he had durability problems, and he strengthened his argument in both camps by the end of the season. He finished the season with a career-best total in innings, had the lowest hits per nine in the AL, finished second in ERA, fourth in K/9 and eighth in WHIP. His walk rate was truly the only blemish on what was the strongest season of his career. Unfortunately, his forearm started barking during the ALDS and he missed the rest of the season, leaving us with a lasting memory of concern for 2022. The way the season closed is certainly going to be an issue the earlier you draft, and any work stoppage in camp likely further delays any finality on the status of his arm for the season. His 2022 outlook is much like his 2021 outlook -- high risk and high reward. Rostering McCullers requires other staff anchors and he should not be drafted as more than a SP3.
More Fantasy News

Throws again Monday
McCullers (forearm) threw in the batting cage Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Starts up throwing program
McCullers (forearm) resumed playing catch Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
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Still not throwing
McCullers (forearm) has yet to resume throwing, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
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Not playing catch yet
Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters Sunday that McCullers (forearm) hasn't resumed playing catch yet, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
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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," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
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