Lance McCullers Jr. Disputes Houston Astros Reliever Role Talks

Lance McCullers Jr. is not happy the Houston Astros may want to move him into a bullpen role.

Nov 1, 2022; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) reacts after conceding a two-run home run to Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper (not pictured) during the first inning in game three of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are beginning to ramp things up in spring training and having roles start to take shape as to who is going to be placed where.

However, there's at least one role for a player on the team where there seams be a disconnect between player and decision maker.

Lance McCullers Jr., who has not pitched for the Astros for the last two seasons due to various injuries, was dangled last week in a press conference from general manager Dana Brown as someone who could move from the starting rotation to the bullpen.

Clearly, Brown either had not spoken to McCullers Jr. about the possibility or had an unpleasant conversation.

When asked about the potential transition from a starting role by media members, McCullers Jr. stated strongly he plans on continuing his return from injury as a starting pitcher, not as a reliever.

"I don't know where that came from," McCullers Jr. said via Chandler Rome of The Athletic. "People say 'Well, just make him a reliever.' That's not an easy thing to do...It's not a fallback position. It's doing a disservice to the guys who are in that role. It's very specific and very hard... Pitching back-to-back or three out of four, for me, is physically harder."

McCullers Jr. has not appeared in an MLB game since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, where he gave up five home runs.

After signing a five-year extension worth $85 million prior to the 2021 season which did not kick in until the 2022 season, McCullers Jr. has made a total of just eight regular season starts since the deal kicked in.

The former All-Star looked to be a major bargain for a Houston team who was still competing for World Series titles, but the deal has obviously been a financial disaster thus far.

Having the desire to move him to the bullpen is understandable from Brown due to it looking questionable whether or not he's able to handle the full workload of a Major League starting pitcher, but McCullers Jr. is correct in asserting it's a completely different position than anything he's done throughout his career.

Even if the righty never pitched another game for the Astros, he will always be a legend in Houston for his performances in the 2017 World Series run.

After being virtually unhittable in the ALCS against the New York Yankees with a 0.90 ERA, McCuller's Jr. made two World Series starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers, both games that ended in victory.

Now seemingly finally healthy, seeing what role the veteran can carve out for himself on this year's team remains to be seen, but clearly McCullers Jr. doesn't plan on it coming in a relief spot.

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