MINNEAPOLIS — An injury-ravaged Houston Astros pitching staff suffered more attrition on Tuesday when Lance McCullers Jr. landed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.McCullers was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday at Target Field about three hours before first pitch. He is the fourth member of Houston’s season-opening starting rotation to spend time on the IL. Two others, Cristian Javier and Cy Young Award finalist Hunter Brown, remain sidelined with Grade 2 shoulder strains.McCullers flew back to Houston on Tuesday to be evaluated by team physicians, according to manager Joe Espada, who added that McCullers has been throwing through shoulder pain “for a while.”“He’s been pitching through it,” Espada said on Tuesday. “He’s been recovering well, kind of your normal, typical post-start soreness. But, this week, he wasn’t able to get rid of it. We decided to get him seen by our doctors.”According to Espada, shoulder pain had plagued McCullers “for a few starts.” McCullers underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and flexor tendon repair in 2023. He missed three full seasons — 2019, 2023 and 2024 — while recovering from the operations.McCullers, who is in the final season of a five-year, $85 million extension he signed prior to the 2021 season, posted a 6.68 ERA across his first eight starts. The 39 1/3 innings McCullers threw are the second-most on Houston’s staff, trailing only Mike Burrows for the team lead. The two have teamed to post a 6.22 ERA, offering an apt illustration of this ignominious season.