Manager AJ Hinch said he has "zero" concern about McHugh's back, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "We hoped to get 12 or 15 more pitches out of him, but the first time out, it's not that alarming," the manager said. "We're going to err on the side of caution. This was a regular season game, he'd have gone back out there."
McHugh exited Wednesday's game against the Nationals after just one inning due to back soreness. Both McHugh and Hinch downplayed the issue afterwards, so it doesn't sound like anything that will affect his status for the start of the season at this point. Still, his status will be worth monitoring throughout camp seeing as he's dealt with back injuries on and off in the past.