Feldman to make a spot start

Scott Feldman will make a spot start for the Astros on Tuesday against the Angels in place of Lance McCullers, who is dealing with the start of a blister on his right index finger, manager A.J. Hinch said.

McCullers will be pushed back until this weekend’s series against the Chicago White Sox or Monday’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners, which would have been his next turn. The 22-year-old righthander didn’t discover the tenderness on the tip of his finger until he threw Thursday, the day after his last start.

“We are erring on the side of caution with the All-Star break being 10 or 12 days away, and (with) the availability of Scott Feldman to come in and spot start, it’s a very simple decision to push him back,” Hinch said.

McCullers didn’t throw Monday but should on Tuesday, Hinch said. The manager said he won’t finalize the date of McCullers’ next start until after Thursday’s day off. In the rotation’s current construction, Mike Fiers would start Friday, Doug Fister on Saturday and Collin McHugh on Sunday. Inserting McCullers into the White Sox series would affect at least one if not all three of them.

For Feldman, Tuesday’s start will be his first since April 24. The veteran righthander was lifted from the rotation after posting a 4.58 ERA in his first four starts in favor of Chris Devenski, who has since returned to the bullpen. Feldman, who has pitched as many as three innings in his long relief outings, has a 1.85 ERA in 241⁄3 innings out of the bullpen.

Hinch made the announcement regarding Tuesday’s starter as the team stretched before Monday night’s series opener at Angel Stadium, and neither McCullers nor Feldman was available for comment.

“He deserves the first crack at it,” Hinch said of Feldman. “Obviously, it’s a spot start, and he’ll be able to be stretched out a little bit depending on how efficient he is. He’s pitched a lot in his career as a starter, so it’s not going to spook him at all. I’m glad we have Scott Feldman available to take on this role when something like this comes up.”