McHugh may not be able to build up his arm in time to take the ball during the first week of the regular season, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports. "It's looking more and more likely that (McHugh) may be late for the season," manager A.J. Hinch said.
Hinch is not making a definitive declaration, but having McHugh start the season on the 10-day disabled list will allow the right-hander to build up his inning and pitch count. He most recently pitched three innings Wednesday and is scheduled to throw early next week, but would be limited to four innings and 60-65 pitches. That's a tight schedule to be ready for one of the first five games of the regular season. If McHugh opens on the DL, Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers will make up the back end of the rotation.