Former No. 1 pick Appel called up by Phillies

NEW YORK — Mark Appel is a major leaguer.

Nine years after the Astros selected Appel with the first overall pick in the draft, the Houston native received his first call-up late Friday night as a COVID-19 replacement player for the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Completely overwhelmed. I have so many thoughts I want to share but can’t find the words, so I’ll just say this: I’m thankful,” Appel tweeted on Saturday morning. “Today, I get to play a game I love as a Major League Baseball player.”

Appel stepped away from baseball in 2018 due to numerous injuries. He returned to the Phillies organization last season in a comeback attempt. The righthander had a 1.61 ERA and 0.929 WHIP in 28 innings for Class AA Lehigh Valley before his promotion.

The Astros packaged Appel with four other prospects to acquire closer Ken Giles from

Philadelphia in December 2015.

McCullers throws live batting practice

Lance McCullers Jr. threw his first live batting practice session of the season on Saturday, continuing his slow journey back from a strained flexor tendon.

McCullers threw around 20 pitches to Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña prior to the Astros’ game at Yankee Stadium. Both Peña and McCormick put multiple balls in play — Peña struck two to the warning track — but the results of the simulated at-bats mattered little.

“It was good. Obviously it was the first time (facing hitters), first time I warmed up in the bullpen,” McCullers said. “I was up to 93 (mph) and that’s a really good sign because the velo is steadily increasing on its own.”

As has been standard in the last few weeks, McCullers threw primarily sinkers, cutters and changeups. He did deviate from his plan and spin one slider, which he acknowledged is a major hurdle he must clear.

“I’ve been throwing them in catch and throwing a couple in the (bullpen) here and there. I threw some today and they felt pretty good, coming off my fingers well. I’ve been throwing curveballs for a couple weeks now. I think the biggest hurdle for me to get over is going to be the slider — not physically, more mentally probably.”