Inside the Astros

Astros Place RHP Lance McCullers Jr. on Injured List, Recall Nick Hernandez

Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. has landed back on the injured list, while Nick Hernandez is coming up from Sugar Land to take his spot on the active roster.
Kyle Morton|
Jul 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) reacts after a pitch during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park.
Jul 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) reacts after a pitch during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Houston Astros

The Houston Astros announced on Tuesday that they have placed right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day injured list due to a right finger blister.

The move is retroactive to July 20, and to take his spot on the 26-man active roster, the club has recalled right-handed pitcher Nick Hernandez from Triple-A Sugar Land.

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McCullers Jr., who made his return to the team's starting rotation this year after missing the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, owns a 6.90 ERA in his 11 starts.

He has performed well on the road, but at home at Daikin Park, it has been a totally different story.

In his five road starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA, while he is 0-4 in Houston with an 11.86 ERA. In his most recent appearance on Saturday, he went 2.2 innings and allowed four earned runs against the Seattle Mariners.

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The Astros are in significant need of quality starting pitching behind co-aces Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, and McCullers will look to provide that when he recovers and returns from the IL.

Hernandez, a 30-year-old reliever, has been dominant this season with the Space Cowboys. There, he has put up a 1.70 ERA across 37 innings of work in which he's struck out 48 opposing hitters.

He's made two appearances at the MLB level this season, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out a pair in those showings.

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Hernandez was drafted in the eighth round of the 2016 MLB draft by Houston, and he's spent his entire career with the franchise aside from a stint with the San Diego Padres' organization in 2023 and part of 2024.

For more Astros news, head over to Astros On SI.

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Kyle Morton
KYLE MORTON

Kyle Morton has covered various sports from amateur to professional level athletics. A graduate of Fordham University, Kyle specializes in MLB and NHL coverage while having previous bylines with SB Nation, The Hockey Writers, HighSchoolOT, and Sports World News. He spent time working the beat for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and is an avid fan of the NHL, MLB, NFL and college basketball. Enjoys the outdoors and hiking in his free time away from sports.

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