HOUSTON -- Right-hander Lance McCullers could rejoin the Astros' rotation sooner rather than later.
McCullers, who's scheduled to make a rehab start for Triple-A Fresno at El Paso on Saturday, could return during next week's road series in Boston, manager A.J. Hinch said. McCullers threw 62 pitches on Monday at extended spring training in Kissimmee, Fla., hitting 92-97 mph, and will throw a bullpen session on Wednesday before heading to west Texas.
"McCullers was really excited about how he felt today," Hinch said. "All signs continue to be one step closer to getting him back into real competition in the sense of a rehab assignment, but I was encouraged with the exchange today when he said, 'All systems go, feeling really good.