McCullers will continue building up his pitch count and figures to be an option for Houston’s injury-depleted starting rotation by the end of the month. The 31-year-old righty struck out five over four scoreless innings on Saturday in his latest rehab outing for Triple-A Sugar Land.

McCullers threw 42 of 61 pitches for strikes and only allowed a pair of baserunners over four frames. The 31-year-old righty is trending towards making his long-awaited return to Houston’s rotation for the first time in a couple years by the end of April.

McCullers struck out three and allowed two runs over two innings on Sunday in his first minor league rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land. The 31-year-old hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since Game 3 of the 2022 Fall Classic due to elbow issues, but he’s on track to rejoin Houston’s starting rotation in late April or early May.

McCullers hit 95mph on the radar gun and came away from the outing feeling good, as if he could have gone out for another inning. “These rehab games are all about entering healthy and leaving healthy,” he said after the game. “Little off-timing, a little out of pace, but overall happy with everything.” McCullers will need to build up to three innings and then four, etc., which means he could need another three outings before potentially returning to Houston. If he can make it back in May, that could mean Hayden Wesneski returns to a multi-inning relief role.