Lance McCullers Jr. of the Astros got hurt badly on Opening Day.

Lance McCullers Jr. is expected to help the Houston Astros replace Justin Verlander in 2023. Chandler Rome says that McCullers Jr. said that a recent MRI showed that he had

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a "small muscle strain." "Opening day is out of the question," McCullers Jr. said.Dusty Baker, the manager of the Astros, had hinted before that McCullers Jr. might be hurt,

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but he wouldn't say more. Brian McTaggart says that McCullers Jr. was upset when he found out about his injury."I've been a little bit upset," McCullers said. "I was really

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looking forward to a great start to camp and a great start to the season. When something like this happens, it's very upsetting for me, the team, and the fans.

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When healthy, Lance McCullers Jr. is one of the best pitchers in the game. But it has been hard for the Astros' right-hander to stay healthy. Since 2018, he has only pitched

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in more than 11 games once. During that time, McCullers Jr. has been successful, but Houston hasn't gotten much from him.Even though Justin Verlander left and Lance McCullers

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Jr. got hurt, the Astros still have one of the best rotations in MLB. Framber Valdez will lead the charge, and Luis Garcia, Christian Javier, and Jose Urquidy will follow him.

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Their depth isn't as good as it used to be, but they could replace McCullers Jr. until he comes back by bringing in a veteran player or a player from the minor leagues.

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Lance McCullers Jr. does not have a set schedule right now. The Astros will probably announce a schedule soon.

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