I think you were right before you edited. I'd forgotten they extended it beyond 2020 (they definitely still used it up to last season), there's a dearth of current info on MLB's website (and I haven't dug into the actual CBA/basic agreement, because I can't find a current one), this is the most recent info I saw online: A club can recall a player ("position-player," "pitcher," or "two-way player") from a minor league Optional Assignment and place the player on its "Taxi Squad" for one day. If the player is not added to his club's MLB Active List by 3 PM (Eastern) the next day or at least three hours prior to the scheduled start of the next day's game (whichever is later), the player must be removed from the Taxi Squad and returned to his minor league assignment. A player on the Taxi Squad does not count against his club's MLB Active List or the minor league affiliate's active roster, and the player does not accrue MLB Service Time while on the Taxi Squad. NOTE: The most common reasons to recall a player and place him on the Taxi Squad is when a club is considering whether to place a player on the Injured List (or other MLB inactive list) but has not yet decided, or if a trade is imminent but has not yet been consummated. CoViD-19 EXCEPTION: A club can carry up to five minor league players (one must be a catcher) on its MLB Taxi Squad who can be temporarily added to the club's MLB Active List roster to replace a player who is placed on the CoViD-19 IL.
I just hope Dusty doesn’t use him over one of our top relievers just because the opposing hitter is left-handed
Not really. He is 25 years old and in AAA and has given up 5 homers in 21 innings........ he has been rocked before in AAA with homer issues before. He is at the point where he needs to quickly turn it around or he will become a reliever and then be released. If it is all bad luck, his future handful of starts will hopefully be better. He needs to stop insisting on throwing 5 different pitchers, this isn't the 1930's.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) threw off flat ground on Tuesday, and according to manager Dusty Baker, the righty "felt great." The 29-year-old has been sidelined for the whole 2023 season thus far after straining his forearm in February. McCullers Jr. is ahead of schedule in his recovery but is still a few steps away from returning, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect to see him with the Astros for another few weeks at the earliest. In 2022, he pitched to a 2.27 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 25.6% strikeout rate with four wins across just eight starts. When McCullers Jr. is fully healthy, he can provide value in every category. Source: MLB.com
This still feels better than last year for McCullers. June 1st there will be 107 games left. Let's shoot for double last year - 16 starts
RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (right arm muscle strain) Expected return: June McCullers is throwing from the front of the bullpen mound as he progresses closer to throwing a full bullpen. McCullers is working his way back from a right elbow strain. He began experiencing arm pain following a Feb. 14 bullpen session in Florida and has been rehabbing since. He started his throwing program in March. (Last updated: May 1) OF Chas McCormick (lower back tightness) Expected return: Early May McCormick is 1-for-6 in two games on a Minor League rehab assignment for Double-A Corpus Christi at Midland, playing seven innings defensively on April 30. McCormick injured his back on April 16 and was placed on the injured list two days later. Astros manager Dusty Baker said McCormick may need to play in six or seven rehab games before returning to the lineup. (Last updated: May 1) LF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) Expected return: Early May Brantley has gone 3-for-14 with four walks and three RBIs in five games on his Minor League rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land. He's started four games in left field and one at designated hitter and on April 30 played all nine innings defensively for the first time. Last year, Brantley slashed .288/.370/.416 in 64 games before undergoing shoulder surgery in August and missing the rest of the regular season and postseason. The Astros re-signed him to a one-year deal for 2023 with the understanding that he might not be ready for the start of the season. (Last updated: May 1) 2B Jose Altuve (fractured right thumb) Expected return: June Altuve is expected to be out of action for about two months after he underwent surgery in Houston on March 22 to repair a fractured right thumb he suffered March 18, when he was hit by a pitch in the World Baseball Classic. Astros general manager Dana Brown said March 22 the prognosis means no baseball activity for two months, but he said different players heal at different paces. The Astros are likely looking at a late-May, early-June return for Altuve, an eight-time All-Star and the team’s leadoff hitter. (Last updated: March 30)
