McCullers (forearm) threw 33 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers was scratched from a scheduled rehab start Saturday due to illness. He is expected to make a start with Double-A Corpus Christi in the coming days, though the appearance has not been officially scheduled.

The Astros hope McCullers (forearm/illness) will be ready to throw a bullpen session Tuesday or Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers had to be scratched from his last scheduled rehab appearance this past Friday due to a stomach bug. If the right-hander is able to get through a bullpen session in the coming days without issue, he'll resume his rehab assignment this weekend. McCullers had been tracking toward a season debut by late April, but that timeline could be pushed back a bit.

McCullers (forearm) was scratched from his rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday due to an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers is currently fighting off a case of the stomach flu and will presumably make his next rehab start as soon as he's feeling better. His next outing is expected to be his final appearance in the minors if all goes well, which puts him on track to make his season debut for the Astros near the end of April.

General manager Dana Brown said Sunday that the Astros' series with the Royals that runs from April 25 through 27 could be a potential target for McCullers' (forearm) season debut, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. "That would be pretty encouraging, but we don't want to rush it," Brown said.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers made the third start of his minor-league rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Sugar Land and delivered his best performance yet; he struck out five over four scoreless innings, yielding just one hit and one walk. He covered 61 pitches in the outing, inducing 13 whiffs while averaging 91.4 miles per hour on his 13 sinkers, 80.5 mph on 13 curveballs and 85.1 mph on 12 sliders, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. All of those velocity readings were a couple ticks below his averages from his last healthy season in 2022, but McCullers noted that it's not an unexpected development, and he's happy overall with how his surgically repaired forearm has been responding coming out of his first three rehab starts. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, McCullers will shift his rehab to Double-A Corpus Christi for his fourth rehab start next weekend. He's expected to reach 75-to-80 pitches in that outing, and if all goes well, he'll be activated from the 15-day injured list to make his 2025 Astros debut during the Kansas City series.

McCullers (forearm) will make his third rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers wasn't sharp in his second outing with Double-A Corpus Christi on April 5, though he did build up to 50 pitches. The Astros are shorthanded in their rotation in the absence of Spencer Arrighetti (thumb), so McCullers could be back in the big-league rotation soon with a couple of strong rehab outings.

McCullers (forearm) covered 1.2 innings in his rehab start Saturday with Double-A Corpus Christi, striking out one batter while allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers made the second start of his rehab assignment after covering two innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on March 30. Though his command and control left much to be desired Saturday, McCullers was still able to build up to 50 pitches after tossing 35 in his previous outing. He'll make his next appearance for Triple-A Sugar Land this Saturday and may require just one additional rehab outing after that before the Astros potentially bring him back from the 15-day injured list. Houston could look to McCullers to fill the opening in the rotation created by the loss of Spencer Arrighetti, who appears headed for an extended absence after fracturing his right thumb Monday.

McCullers (forearm) will make a rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers will move down a level after making his first rehab start Sunday at Triple-A Sugar Land, during which he gave up two earned runs over two innings while throwing 35 pitches. The 31-year-old may look to tack on another inning to his workload during his upcoming Double-A start as he works toward appearing in his first MLB game in more than two years.

McCullers (forearm) struck out three and allowed two earned runs on two hits and one walk across two innings Sunday in a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land.

EDGE Analysis

After tossing a scoreless, 13-pitch inning in his lone Grapefruit League appearance March 18 before opening the season on the 15-day injured list, McCullers increased his workload in his first rehab outing, covering an additional frame and tossing 35 pitches (20 strikes). Since he missed the last two seasons while recovering from June 2023 surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon, McCullers will build up slowly in the minors, but a late April or early May return from the IL could be in the cards if all goes smoothly during his subsequent rehab starts.

McCullers (forearm) will make a rehab start at Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Sunday will mark the first time McCullers has gotten into a regular-season game of any kind since 2022. He'll also likely require several more rehab outings as he gradually builds up to a starter's workload, but he should still be able to return to Houston at some point in the first half of the season.

McCullers (forearm) threw one inning without allowing a hit or a run in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals.

EDGE Analysis

McCullers took the mound for the first time since the 2022 World Series after working through several different arm injuries. He threw 13 pitches as a first step in what will likely remain a lengthy ramp up to return to big-league action. Nevertheless, it was a positive sign of his potential to make an impact with Houston in 2025.