McHugh (elbow) is expected to rejoin Houston's rotation this weekend against the Orioles, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The final two pieces to drop before McHugh joins the rotation are the outcome of a bullpen session scheduled Tuesday and which day he'll start. Friday's series opener would represent normal rest and it's also the day the struggling Joe Musgrove lines up to start, so that seems to be the most logical deployment for McHugh. The right-hander got his pitch count up to 69 in his final rehabilitation start, then threw another 20 pitches in a subsequent bullpen session. He should be ready to go at least five innings.