Right-handed starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., who has spent his entire professional career with the Houston Astros since getting drafted in 2012, reportedly is on his way to the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade, according to longtime Astros reporter Brian McTaggart.
McCullers isn’t alone; McTaggart of MLB.com also reported that left-hander Colton Gordon was headed to the Brewers, as well. The return from the Brewers wasn’t immediately announced.
Here’s what to know about McCullers:
How old is Lance McCullers?
He’s 32 and will turn 33 on Oct. 2.
Where is Lance McCullers from?
The former first-round draft pick was selected from a high school in Tampa, Florida.
How has Lance McCullers done so far in 2026?
McCullers, 32, last pitched May 13 with the Astros and has been on the injured list with shoulder soreness; he’s also made three rehab appearances, allowing three earned runs in 11 innings at Class AAA Sugar Land with 11 strikeouts and four walks.
McCullers has a 6.86 ERA in eight starts this year with Houston, though he does have 43 strikeouts in 39⅓ innings. He’s allowed seven home runs among 38 hits. He also struggled last year, posting a 6.51 ERA in 16 appearances (13 starts).
Has Lance McCullers been injured a lot in his career?
The 2017 all-star has dealt with a bevy of injuries in his career, especially since signing a five-year extension worth $85 million with the Astros just before the 2021 season; he’s owed $17.7 million over the course of 2026, the final season of that deal. He left a playoff start in 2021 with a right flexor tendon strain and didn’t appear again until August 2022. He missed all of 2023 after surgery to repair the flexor tendon and remove a bone spur. The rehab process lingered into 2024, when he suffered a setback and was shut down for that season, as well.
After more than 900 days between big-league outings, he made his 2025 debut May 4 and has struggled in his appearances since.
McCullers also missed the 2019 season following Tommy John surgery.
Why would the Brewers trade for a guy with rough numbers and injury history?
The Brewers find themselves short of starting-pitching depth. Kyle Harrison was placed on the injured list shortly before the all-star break, and Jacob Misiorowski’s turn July 12 was skipped for combat fatigue. Brandon Woodruff was quickly moved to the 60-man injured list following the revelation of a new injury in his shoulder, and Quinn Priester is also out for the year.
Logan Henderson returned from the injured list before the all-star break and remains a key part of the rotation but has been battling a back ailment. Brandon Sproat and Robert Gasser have been available but have delivered up-and-down performances.
The Brewers just got an unfortunate reminder of a recent transaction involving an oft-injured pitcher, though; in 2022, minor leaguer and future White Sox all-star Tristan Peters got dealt for reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who never got healthy enough to pitch for the Brewers.
Why have I heard of Lance McCullers before today?
McCullers was on two World Series championship teams with the Astros and started Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, a game the Astros won 5-1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers (with McCullers driving in a run at the plate with a groundout). He has a 3.47 ERA in 73 postseason innings, and that’s despite allowing seven earned runs in 4⅓ innings during his last playoff start in the 2022 World Series. He also threw the final four innings of relief in Game 7 of the ALCS, allowing no runs and one hit as Houston beat the Yankees 4-0 to clinch a spot in that World Series.
In his career, McCullers has a 53-40 record and 3.85 ERA.
What kind of pitches does Lance McCullers throw?
He once threw 24 straight curveballs to close out the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS, an illustration of his offspeed-heavy arsenal through his career. But that’s not the McCullers we’ve seen this season.
He’s thrown a balanced diet of five pitches this year, going cutter-heavy against lefties and sinker-heavy to righties in addition to a sweeper, curveball and changeup.
Who is Colton Gordon?
The left-hander Gordon, 27, has pitched 14 games at AAA this year (13 starts) with a 6-3 record, 3.69 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He last pitched July 10 in the minors, allowing no runs and four hits in six innings, with seven strikeouts. He’s a former top-10 prospect in the Astros organization.
He’s worked 9⅓ rough innings in the big leagues this year, allowing six home runs and three walks with an 11.57 ERA in that limited stretch. In 2025, he posted a 5.34 ERA in 20 games (14 starts), with 72 strikeouts and 103 hits allowed in 86 innings.
He’s a Florida native who attended the University of Central Florida, and the Astros selected him in the eighth round of the 2021 draft.
What kind of pitches does Colton Gordon throw?
He’s been heavy on four-seam fastball and sweeper at the big-league level, with a dash of sinker and changeup. He gets elite extension on the mound and gets good chase but isn’t going to wow you with his velocity.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about new Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
