Houston Astros

Lance McCullers Jr.

SP

McCullers threw a 25-pitch live batting practice session Friday and has now been cleared for game action in the minors. The veteran right-hander has been on the shelf for a month due to shoulder inflammation and could back with the Astros after making a couple rehab starts, depending how well he's able to build up his workload.

Cristian Javier

SP

Javier only made three appearances for Houston before being placed on the injured list April 10. Houston believes this upcoming rehab start should be the 29-year-old's final one, so it seems the right-hander is close to being back with the big-league club after missing over two months of action.

Ronel Blanco

SP

He gave up only on hit and one walk. There's no word on what Blanco's velocity was, but it was an encouraging first rehab outing from a box score perspective. Blanco is working his way back from last June's Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. He will need several more rehab starts, but Blanco is tracking toward rejoining the Astros' rotation around the All-Star break.

Braden Shewmake

SS

Shewmake is making progress in his recovery from the right adductor strain that sent him to the injured list June 2, but the fact that he's conducting his rehab in Florida rather than with Houston suggests that his return isn't imminent. Once Shewmake eventually recovers from the adductor injury, he'll likely have to settle for a utility infield role now that Jose Altuve has beaten him back from the IL.

LaMonte Wade Jr.

1B

Wade appeared to suffer the injury while legging out a double in the top half of the sixth inning, and he needed to come out of the game immediately after. He can be considered day-to-day until the club has a chance to evaluate him further. Brice Matthews entered the game in Wade's place.

Nick Allen

SS

Allen injured his hamstring while running to first base on a single in the third inning, with Taylor Trammell entering the game as a pinch runner. The Astros should have a better sense of the severity of Allen's injury once he undergoes more tests.

Brandon Walter

SP

Walter is one of three Astros starters in Florida rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, though Hayden Wesneski (elbow) and Ronel Blanco (elbow) are further along in their programs after undergoing procedures in May and June of last year, respectively. Both Wesneski and Blanco will have chances at returning from the 60-day injured list late in the season, but since he had his surgery Sept. 23, 2025, Walter isn't a realistic candidate to pitch until 2027. Walter's main focus will be building up toward facing live hitters by the end of the season with the aim of entering spring training with few restrictions, if any.

Bennett Sousa

RP

Sousa was placed on the 15-day injured list May 9 due to left elbow inflammation and was shut down from activity for nearly three weeks before receiving clearance to start playing catch. The left-handed reliever isn't expected to require a lengthy buildup period, but he'll presumably need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the IL.

Carlos Correa

SS

The Astros could provide an official timeline for Correa's return once surgery is completed, but the veteran infielder has already been ruled out for the season and is expected to require around 6-to-8 months to fully recover from the procedure. Correa slashed .279/.369/.418 with three home runs, one stolen base, 16 RBI and 22 runs over 141 plate appearances in 32 games before suffering the ankle injury in batting practice prior to Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers.

Hayden Wesneski

SP

Both Wesneski and Ronel Blanco (elbow) are throwing live BP at the Astros' spring training complex in West Palm Beach. Wesneski underwent Tommy John surgery in May of last year and could be an option for activation at some point later this summer.

Walker Janek

C

Jimmy Price of AstrosFuture.com noted that Janek was pulled early from a game Friday after he came up limping while scoring from second base on a single, so the 23-year-old catcher could be nursing some sort of lower-body injury. Before landing on the shelf, Janek had gotten off to a rough start to the season at Corpus Christi, slashing .135/.179/.216 with one home run and four stolen bases while striking out at a 35.9 percent clip over 78 plate appearances.