Astros send Lance McCullers Jr. to Brewers to free up money before trade deadline

Lance McCullers Jr.is finally on the move.The Astros have traded the veteran right-handed pitcher and left-hander Colton Gordon to the Brewers, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.The return for Houston has not been announced.McCullers, who won World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 with the Astros, has been on the IL since May 19 with right shoulder inflammation.He has a 6.86 ERA in 39 ⅓ innings across eight starts with Houston this season and is in the final year of a five-year, $85 million contract.The Astros have plenty of pitching depth.

Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco are expected to come off the IL later this month and they added Tatsuya Imai, Peter Lambert and Mike Burrows this offseason.This trade was made by Houston to free up money for potential other moves ahead of the trade deadline.Houston has overcome a rough start and sits at 47-51, just 1 ½ games out of the final wild-card spot in the middling American League.With the 32-year-old gone, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are the only two members of the 2017 World Series championship team left on the roster.That season was McCullers only All-Star Game appearance, though his best season was in 2021 when he posted a 13-5 record with a 3.16 ERA in 28 starts, finishing seventh in AL Cy Young voting.Since then, tough, McCullers has been unable to stay healthy.The right hander dealt with a complex right flexor tendon repair surgery and bone spur removal following the 2022 World Series that kept him out for two-and-a-half years.In his return to the mound last season, McCullers struggled with a 6.51 ERA in 55 ⅓ innings in 16 games, and found himself on the IL three times.McCullers’ current injury has been going on for a little while, according to Astros manager Joe Espada, he’s just been pitching through it.In late May, the Astros 2012 draft pick faced live batters during batting practice in late June, and has been on rehab assignment since then, posting a 2.45 ERA in three games.McCullers also previously ...