McCullers (elbow) has adopted a more compact arm action designed to alleviate the stress on his arm, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The Astros tried a similar mechanical tweak last year when McCullers was rehabbing a shoulder injury that delayed the start to the 2016 season, but trying to get comfortable with the new arm action while working back from an injury and pitching in regular-season games proved too much for the right hander. He eventually reverted back to what he was accustomed to and developed an elbow injury that ended his season in August. Now with a full offseason to prepare, McCullers feels the conditions are right to make such an adjustment ideal. Houston hopes a healthy McCullers, working as the team's No. 2 starter, will command his fastball better and knock down that 5.0 BB/9 rate.