"The breaking stuff hasn't missed a beat. He's throwing hard. He's throwing with intent," Astros pitching instructor Josh Miller told The Athletic's Chandler Rome. "He's asked for [a greater workload] in between his mound sessions, and he looks really good.

Lance McCullers Jr. jogged from the Houston Astros’ dugout across the third-base line, toward the pitcher’s mound and a momentous step in his attempt to return to the majors. A baseball awaited him. McCullers scooped it up and threw his warmup pitches.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada has high hopes for starter Lance McCullers Jr after his impressive return to the mound.