McCullers (shoulder) struck out four and allowed four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks across four innings in a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.
In the third start of his rehab assignment, McCullers covered four innings for a second outing in a row, though he was able to push his pitch count up to 77 (43 strikes) after tossing 60 pitches in his previous appearance for Sugar Land. Though he wasn't as sharp Tuesday as he had been his previous two times out, McCullers has still fared well overall during his minor-league assignment, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in 11 innings. The next steps for McCullers remain unclear; though the veteran right-hander is stretched back out, Astros general manager Dana Brown didn't mention him as a candidate to fill the since-demoted Mike Burrows' spot in the rotation the next time it comes up Sunday against the Rangers, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. With that in mind, McCullers may be headed for another rehab appearance Sunday before returning from the 15-day injured list following the All-Star break and potentially handling a bullpen role.