Turning the page on failing franchise legends is never easy, but sometimes it's a decisions that simply has to be made. The Houston Astros have been learning this the hard way while the veteran core from their late-2010's dynasty begins to age and deteriorate. The latest example has been Lance McCullers, whose major contributions to the 2017 World Series run can't help excuse his 2025 play.
With that in mind, the team has made a dramatic move with McCullers, shifting him to the bullpen in what appears to be a desperation effort to light the spark that he needs to rebound down the stretch.
Lance McCullers Jr. is available out of the bullpen, Joe Espada said. Espada described the move as “short term” and said the Astros’ hope is it can help get McCullers going. https://t.co/PLxiu63o8u
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) August 28, 2025
Astros Make Desperation Move with Struggling Starter Lance McCullers
Matt Kawahara reported that the starter has been demoted to the bullpen in an effort to see if it could breathe life back into his career. This is after McCullers has gone 2-4 with a 6.97 ERA throughout the season. Included in this is a bullpen appearance on the final day of August, where the World Series champ gave up 2 earned runs over 2.0 innings of work.
If this is the path Houston is going to choose to take with the veteran, it is going to take more than a handful of failed outings to prove the move has failed. However, there is no denying it is off to a rough start. If McCullers were any other pitcher on the roster, the page would've already been turned. The Astros are attempting every possible path to breathe life back into the starter's career.
Helping this case is the fact that McCullers has an ERA of 3.47 throughout his postseason career, adding in two key wins and a save. There is a long history of the longtime Astro producing in the season's biggest moment. Turning the page from this is a difficult decision, even when it is obvious that this is exactly what Houston should do.
McCullers has one year remaining on his deal at $17.7 million for the 2026 season. If there isn't a major shift and improvement in current production, the franchise must turn the page. Absorbing the money and realizing that even a starter with such an accomplished history cannot continue to be employed with this level of production.
Houston is in the middle of a difficult postseason race, piecing together its roster through a year of consistent injuries and frustrating results from key pieces. Designating McCullers for assignment if the failures continue isn't just about moving on from a failing piece but setting a tone in a pivotal season as the Astros attempt to make yet another deep postseason run.