Lance McCullers Jr. is back in the major leagues, and a phone call with Josh Hader helped make it happen.
According to Yahoo Sports, McCullers was reinstated from the injured list by the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, July 17, prior to their series opener against the Miami Marlins. Left-hander Jared Koenig was optioned to Class AAA Nashville in the corresponding move. McCullers, 32, was traded from Houston along with left-hander Colton Gordon and cash on July 15 in exchange for minor-league outfielder Jadyn Fielder.
The trade required McCullers to waive a no-trade clause, and before agreeing, he reached out to Hader, the former Brewers closer who now fills that same role for the Astros. The two have a history that goes back further than their time in the majors.
"Actually when the Astros had brought up Milwaukee and asked me if I was willing to waive the no-trade, one of the first calls I made was to Josh," McCullers said, referring to Hader. "I've known Josh for a long time. We played together in the minor leagues before he got traded over to Milwaukee. So him saying that made me a little more comfortable with it. I talked to other guys as well -- Brett Phillips, Dallas Keuchel -- and everyone just kept saying the same thing."
The message from those conversations was consistent. "It's a great organization to play for. They loved the coaching staff, the guys in the clubhouse, the city, the fans. So it made me a little more comfortable to make that leap of faith," McCullers said.
McCullers had not pitched in the majors since May 13 due to a rotator cuff impingement. He completed a minor-league rehab stint with Houston before the trade was finalized, getting in three rehab starts and reaching nearly 80 pitches in his final outing. The Brewers plan to use him out of the bullpen.
"Nothing but absolute amazing things to say about the organization, the city, the fans," McCullers said of what Hader told him. "He hasn't been here in a few years but enjoyed his time in the city so much and it'll be a great place to go and be for the rest of the year."
McCullers made clear his motivation for wanting to join Milwaukee specifically. "I think it's a good opportunity for me to come to a great, winning club that has World Series aspirations and I'm excited to be a part of it," he said. "I've seen the Brewers the last few years and really always respected the way that they play. They're a hard-nosed group. Reminds me a lot of the previous teams that have had success that I've been on."
The Brewers are a team with legitimate reasons for optimism this season. Starter Jacob Misiorowski leads all of baseball with a 1.62 ERA and 167 strikeouts through the first half of the year, has earned his second All-Star Game appearance, and is considered a leading candidate for the NL Cy Young Award. McCullers joins a bullpen built around that kind of rotation strength.
"I'm excited to be here," McCullers said. "I feel good."
