His first time back since returning from it in May
After making just seven starts for the Houston Astros since returning from the IL back on May 4th, Houston places starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-Day IL with a right foot sprain. Jason Alexander gets the call from Triple-A to fill McCullers’ spot on the roster.
After making his first start since the 2022 season thanks to constant injuries, McCullers finds himself back on the IL on the same night he was scheduled to take the mound against the A’s. Ryan Gusto will start in his spot.
So far, McCullers was putting together a nice season for himself. In seven starts this season, he has a 4.91 ERA with 39 strikeouts in just over 29 innings of work. He’s held opponents to just a .224 BAA, with the homerun being his issue against hitters so far this year, already allowing four long balls in seven starts.
Replacing him on the roster is newly acquired pitcher Jason Alexander, who the Astros claimed off waivers earlier this season when he was designated for assignment by the A’s. Since joining the Astros organization, Alexander has been lights out in Triple-A, pitching to a 1.74 ERA in four appearances, three of them being starts. Before coming to Houston, Alexander was doing the same thing for the A’s, starting the season with a 1.27 ERA over his first five starts of the season.
Alexander has had time in the majors before, once with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022 and once earlier this year with the A’s. His 2025 stint was not pretty, but back in 2022, he pitched in 18 big league games with just a mid-5 ERA.
Houston has been using a six-man rotation during their 13-game stretch with no off-day, and have already used up their minor league depth with Gusto, Colton Gordon and Brandon Walter all in the majors.
McCullers now joins the rest of the Astro pitchers who are either hurt or recovering, including three members of the season-opening rotation, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski, who both had season-ending surgery and Spencer Arrighetti, who is recovering from a broken right thumb.