return from last years flexor surgery hit a snag. Manager Joe Espada told reporters this afternoon the team was pausing the rightys throwing program after he experienced arm sorene s coming out of his recent bullpen se sions (link via ). The team didnt provide much detail, as Espada noted only that McCullers wont throw for a few days until we sit back down and reevaluate how were going to move forward. Its po sible this is merely a minor setback and McCullers will be able to resume throwing in the coming days. Still, any mention of Fred VanVleet Jersey arm sorene s is going to raise alarm with the pitchers injury history. McCullers lost the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery the previous November. He returned and stayed healthy for most of the 2020-21 campaigns, but he battled forearm discomfort during the 21 postseason. McCullers was out into August 22. He returned to make 11 starts down the stretch and into the playoffs before suffering another arm injury while ramping up during the 2022-23 offseason. That eventually nece sitated surgery. McCullers hasnt pitched in a game since starting Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. That kind of extended layoff makes it difficult for the Astros to bank too heavily on McCullers contributing down the stretch. Yet the team has pointed to returns from and McCullers as po sible stabilizers for a rotation that is barely hanging on. Garcia is on a rehab stint as he works back from last Mays Tommy John procedure. He could be back around the start of August. Even if all goes well with Garcia, the rotation depth remains perhaps the teams biggest question. Houston is operating with four starting pitchers at the moment. , , and are the only healthy starters on the 40-man roster. They should get a fifth arm back this week. Espada suggested that is likely to return from the 15-day injured list to start on Thursday against the Marlins ( via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). Blo s suffered a shoulder injury during his MLB debut on June 21 and has been shelved for around three weeks. Getting Blo s back nominally completes the rotation, but the club cant feel great about relying on a pair of rookies for the final two spots. Arrighetti has had an inconsistent debut campaign and is sitting on a 5.96 ERA acro s 16 starts. The Astros just drafted Blo s in the third round last summer. He has made two starts above Double-A. Blanco, who has had a fantastic year after securing the fifth starter job in Spring Training, had never topped 88 innings in any minor league or MLB season before this one. Hes up to 103 frames with a 2.53 ERA after firing seven innings of two-run ball tonight. Blancos emergence and Hunter Browns midseason turnaround have helped key the Astros recent push back into contention for the AL West. Theyll need more sources of reliable innings down the stretch, which will likely come through some combination of injury returnees and trade. Beyond Garcia and McCullers, has been out since mid-June with neck discomfort. The future Hall of Famer suggested on Tuesday that hes still unsure precisely when hell be ready for game action ( ). Unsurprisingly, the New York Posts Jon Heyman wrote recently that Houston is looking to add starting pitcher from outside the organization before the July 30 deadline. Chris Bosh Jersey