McHugh will be stretched out as a starter this spring, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Although the Astros acquired Gerrit Cole earlier this offseason, the club would still like to give McHugh an opportunity to carve out a spot in the rotation. He's likely battling Charlie Morton for that fifth spot, with the odd man out taking on a role in the bullpen to start off the 2018 campaign. Last season, McHugh started 12 games after dealing with a right elbow impingement early on in the year, and posted a 3.55 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with a 62:20 K:BB over 63.1 innings.

The Twins are considering acquiring McHugh, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic as are the Orioles, who contacted the Astros about the right-hander, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports.

EDGE Analysis

When the Astros added Gerrit Cole to their roster earlier during the offseason, it presaged a likely move to the bullpen for McHugh, if he stayed in Houston. The 30-year-old went 5-2 with a 3.55 ERA over 12 starts in 2017 after missing the first half of the season with shoulder tendinitis. The Twins are in the market for another starter after learning they will be without Ervin Santana (finger) for 10-to-12 weeks, while the Orioles are looking to add to a rotation that currently has just two confirmed starters (Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman).

McHugh may start the season in the bullpen or could be a trade candidate following the acquisition of Gerrit Cole, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McHugh wasn't assured of a spot in the rotation before the Astros acquired Cole from the Pirates over the weekend. An elbow injury cost him the first half of last season, then he later missed time with a fingernail avulsion. Health will be an unknown until he got to spring training. Cole figures to slot in as a No. 3 or 4 starter behind Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel. Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton will fill out the rotation. Best case scenario for McHugh is that he proves himself healthy and is moved at some point late in spring training.

McHugh was left off the active roster for Houston's series against the Red Sox, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

McHugh will not be available for the ALDS as manager A.J. Hinch decided to leave the right-hander off the roster in favor of Charlie Morton and Brad Peacock, who are seemingly in line for Games 3 and 4 of the series at the moment. Although McHugh won't make an appearance against Boston, with rosters changing following every round, he could rejoin the active roster should the Astros advance to the ALCS.

McHugh struck out eight and held the Red Sox to three runs on five hits over six innings en route to his fifth win of the season Sunday in Boston.

EDGE Analysis

Even with the quality start, McHugh might be on the outside looking in at a playoff rotation spot as Brad Peacock and Charlie Morton may claim the final two spots behind Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel. Nevertheless, McHugh appears to be healthy entering the postseason after being limited to 12 starts (63.1 innings) during the regular season.

McHugh will start the final game of the regular season Sunday in Boston, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

McHugh, who has a 3.45 ERA over 11 starts, will be vying for a spot in the postseason rotation. The right-hander missed some time due to a fingernail avulsion, but has come back to pitch relatively well in two starts. The problem is that Brad Peacock and Charlie Morton haven't slowed down, looking like the best options to be the third and fourth starters after Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel in the postseason.

McHugh (4-2) struck out six batters and allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks through five innings to earn the win Monday night over the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

McHugh hasn't completed the sixth innings since August 25th in Los Angeles. At this point, the Astros seem to be relying on McHugh to give his all over short bursts and are willing to count on their bullpen to finish the rest of the game. He has been effective despite his short starts, as McHugh has allowed just six earned runs over his last four outings.

McHugh's next scheduled start has been moved to Monday against the Rangers, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

McHugh had been scheduled to start Sunday's game, but the Astros will push him back a day and send Lance McCullers to the hill Sunday instead. McHugh picked up a win when he last took the mound Tuesday, as he allowed just one run and struck out five batters over five innings against the White Sox.

McHugh (3-2) picked up the win after allowing just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

McHugh was sharp in his first start back after suffering a detached fingernail during his Sept. 8 appearance. He struck out four batters over the first two frames and allowed just one extra-base hit in his five innings of work before departing with a 2-1 lead after throwing 87 pitches (56 for strikes). The effective outing lowered his ERA to 3.44, a figure he'll look to improve upon in his upcoming matchup with the Angels on Sunday.

McHugh (fingernail) is scheduled to start Tuesday against the White Sox, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

McHugh's fingernail detached during his last start Sept. 8, but it's gotten to a point where he'll be able to pitch Tuesday. Prior to the start where he suffered the injury, McHugh had been pitching very well. Over the previous three outings he posted a 0.54 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.