Brewers designate Lance McCullers for assignment less than two weeks after acquiring him

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Veteran pitcher Lance McCullers has been designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers less than two weeks after they acquired the right-hander from the Houston Astros.

The Brewers announced the move before their game Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. They recalled right-handed pitcher Garrett Stallings from Triple-A Nashville.

The moves come a day after McCullers walked four batters in 1 2/3 innings of relief in an 8-5 victory over the Rockies. McCullers entered with Milwaukee ahead 8-2 in the eighth inning and returned for the ninth, but he allowed a hit and two walks in that inning before Trevor Megill came in to get the final out.

McCullers went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two relief appearances with Milwaukee. He struck out five, walked five and allowed five runs (three earned) over 4 2/3 innings.

The bullpen role was new for McCullers, who had started in 148 of his 154 career outings with Houston.

McCullers, 32, had spent his entire major league career with the Astros until they sent him and left-hander Colton Gordon to the Brewers for minor league outfielder Jadyn Fielder on July 15. Houston had agreed to pay Milwaukee $4,227,273 to offset most of McCullers’ remaining salary, leaving his cost to the Brewers at $2.5 million.

McCullers was on the injured list with shoulder inflammation at the time of the trade and last pitched for the Astros on May 13. He went 2-3 with a 6.86 ERA in eight starts for Houston this season.

He began his MLB career in 2015 and owns a 53-40 record with a 3.85 ERA. McCullers was part of Houston’s 2017 and 2022 World Series champions, but injuries kept him from pitching in 2019, 2023 and 2024.

Stallings pitched three scoreless innings in two appearances during an earlier stint with Milwaukee this season. He has gone 3-3 with a 4.11 ERA for Nashville in 18 appearances, including 13 starts.

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