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Lance McCullers will be placed under restrictions with the intention to keep him ready for the playoffs, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said on MLB Network Radio.

McCullers will be placed under an inning restriction with the intention to keep him ready for the playoffs, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said on MLB Network Radio.

Analysis:

The actual level of restriction was unspecified, but it can be estimated by looking at McCullers' previous workload. After two straight seasons spent throwing approximately 100 innings in the minors, the 22-year-old threw a career-high 157.2 innings between the majors and Double-A. That mark also included a 19-day stint at Corpus Christi in the middle of his tenure at Houston in which he only started one game, the plan being to give him some time to rest. With that 157.2 inning mark in mind, it seems reasonable to think McCullers won't be restricted too much below the 200-inning mark. This definitely hurts his upside, but probably not in a way that a solid backup can't fix for a few weeks.

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