SUGAR LAND, Texas — He's still not on the 40-man roster and he just recently returned to pitching in live regular season games after a layoff of more than a year.

But Colin McKee is inching closer and closer to making his major league debut.

The Butler graduate and a relief pitcher entering his fifth season in the Houston Astros minor league system, McKee began this season with the Class AAA Sugar Land Skeeters of the Pacific Coast League.

McKee, who turns 27 on June 21, did not pitch at all last season as minor league baseball was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.“It was rough last year,” McKee admitted. “With no coaches working with you, you had to hold yourself accountable. No one was going to baby-sit you.“Fortunately, I've always done well that way. I'm self-motivated and was able to make good use of that time.”McKee spent spring training in the Astros' minor league camp and only saw action in a couple of games. He was impressive in his first two outings with the Skeeters this season.Working three total innings, McKee allowed two hits, struck out five and did not allow a run.“I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous taking the mound for the first time (this year),” McKee said. “I mean, it's been so long since I faced live hitting and now it was in Triple-A.“After I struck out the first guy, I settled down. It was like, 'OK, I'm back, time to settle in.'”Because McKee used his idle 2020 to diligently work on his mound skills, he has become a more well-rounded pitcher.“My fastball was clocked at 97.6 (miles per hour) already this year and that's the hardest I've ever thrown,” he said. “I've been working at building arm strength and I feel like that's paying off.”He's put a curve ball back in his repertoire as well — a pitch he hasn't thrown in a while.“I mixed a curve in quite a bit when I was a starting pitcher in high school and college,” McKee said. “Since becoming a reliever in pro ball, I've only been throwing my fastball and slider.“With the extended time off, I've sharpened my curve ball to the point that I'm back to using it in games now. It's helpful. It gives the hitter something else to think about.”The PCL has the reputation of being a hitter's league. Many of the franchises are situated in higher-elevation cities.The Class AAA level uses major league baseballs rather than minor league balls.“There's definitely a difference,” McKee said of the baseballs. “The major league balls are stitched and woven tighter. They tend to sail more.“Give up fly balls and they can sail right over the fence. The sinker is an important pitch in this league.”McKee said he played for Sugar Land's manager, Mickey Storey, back in Class A ball. He's worked with Skeeters' pitching coach Erick Abreu for the past three years.“It's a big plus,” McKee said of his previous history with the staff. “They know what I need to do to be successful.”McKee finds himself having to work harder to get hitters out at the Triple-A level.“This is where it changes,” he said. “In Class A, even Double-A, you can count on your stuff to get guys out. Just put the ball past them.“Hitters at this level think all the way through the at-bat. They'll take a strike to set something else up. It becomes more of a chess match, pitcher vs. hitter.”Regardless, McKee appreciates where he's at — and how much it took to get here from the moment he became Houston's 18th-round draft selection in 2016.“It's such a battle, such a long climb,” he said. “Everybody is so good and the Astros system is deep in pitching. You really have to earn your way up the ladder.“It's easierknow to stay focused. I know what I have to do. I'm up to that final step, but it's the toughest step.”

McKee