We finally have an answer on when Astros' Lance McCullers may return
ASTROS NEWS
14 June 2023
ASTROS NEWS
Lance McCullers Jr. has been unable to pitch all season due to some lingering arm issues that date back to the 2021 playoffs. McCullers was able to pitch 8 games in the regular season last year, and made 3 starts in the playoffs. Which helped the Astros win their second World Series.
During Spring Training, McCullers was shutdown with forearm discomfort and has been attempting to come back from the injury. Unfortunately, McCullers experienced some setbacks, and now the team has announced he will miss the remainder of the 2023 season.
McCullers has undergone surgery this week to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, the team announced Wednesday.
RHP Lance McCullers Jr. underwent surgery on Tuesday evening on his right forearm to repair the flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, Astros GM Dana Brown announced. pic.twitter.com/PTS6stV6U2
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 14, 2023
When looking at the positives, Lance has avoided a second Tommy John surgery and the team expects him to return in 2024. Hopefully, the Astros can continue to pitch well in his absence. Houston has the best team ERA in baseball currently.
Be sure to check out the reaction to the news from ESPN Houston's The Wheelhouse.
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo has “no hard feelings” toward Amen Thompson after the Houston forward was ejected for pulling him down from behind by his head and neck Tuesday night.
The Bucks were down by two with about 4½ minutes left when Thompson committed the foul as Antetokounmpo went up for a shot in the lane. The play was reviewed and determined to by a flagrant foul 2 and Thompson was ejected.
Houston went on to a 100-97 victory that snapped Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak.
“At the end of the day like you don’t wanna have a league that’s soft,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about the play. “I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they’re great competitors.”
“I’m one of those guys,” he continued. “Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way (of) making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck. But there’s no hard feelings.”
Thompson didn’t speak to reporters after the game.
Antetokounmpo believes that plays like this one or simply part of the game.
“I understand like when you’re a competitor, you’re gonna make mistakes like that,” he said. “I love it. I love playing this way. I don’t have no hard feelings against him.”
Both Houston coach Ime Udoka and Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers agreed that Thompson should have been ejected for the foul.
Crew chief Tony Brothers explained the decision to eject Thompson to a pool reporter after the game.
“Because the contact to the head was both unnecessary and excessive and by rule that’s a flagrant foul penalty two,” he said.
It’s the second ejection this season for Thompson, who was also tossed in a December game against the Heat after throwing Miami guard Tyler Herro to the floor. The incident triggered an altercation between the teams which led to the ejections of six players and staff members.
Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, was suspended two games for his actions in that skirmish.