WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Whispers of an innings limit reached Lance McCullers Jr. long before he arrived at spring training. In December, former Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow listed 120 innings as a baseline, a threshold McCullers immediately challenged on his social media channels.

Pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery are often saddled with limits during their first full season back. McCullers is cognizant of the precarious position he’s in — a vital contributor to a pennant-contending team who also has a surgically-repaired arm ahead to protect — but has no plans to let it dictate his season.

“I’m not going to spend my whole game staring at the scoreboard like ‘My gosh, my pitch count is rising,’” McCullers said. “If the wolf is hungry, he’s just gonna eat.”

McCullers’ aggression and competitive nature is never questioned, but must be governed to some extent. On Wednesday, the righthander set a goal of reaching 100 pitches in his first regular-season outing, but acknowledged “I don’t know if they’ll let me get there.” Justin Verlander’s mild lat strain only heightens the need for innings-eating starters.

“I’m a big believer in letting my body and the way my stuff is kind of dictate how we’re going to manage me,” McCullers said on Wednesday after his third Grapefruit League appearance. “If I start getting high innings and my (velocity) is dropping and I’m starting to get hit around a little bit, maybe we should take a look at it.

“I’ve said it before, if I’m feeling good and I feel like I’m one of the best five options, I’m not just going to sit in my locker and let other guys go out and pitch in my spots if my body is feeling good.”

McCullers built to 50 pitches on Wednesday against a Nationals lineup with six everyday players — including Juan Soto. Soto struck out in the first against a changeup, one of two punchouts McCullers amassed against the offspeed pitch.

Though he threw two inefficient innings, McCullers exited his start with a clean line. He struck out three, walked one and did not allow a runner past first base. His fastball velocity averaged 94-95 mph, according to the stadium radar gun. McCullers said he bumped 96 once and the velocity felt “natural.”

“I’m really starting to feel like myself again,” McCullers said. “I’m starting to feel normal. I’m starting to lose the apprehension, the second-guessing every pitch that’s called type thing. I’m really just starting to get back to competing with my raw stuff. My changeup today was the best I’ve ever thrown a changeup. Things like that are what I continue to build on.”

Thirty-one of McCullers’ 50 pitches were strikes. Feel for his putaway pitches was nonexistent, leading to deep counts and prolonged plate appearances. Asdrubal Cabrera and Yan Gomes exhausted him during a 28-pitch second inning. Cabrera had an 11-pitch at-bat that ended in a fielder’s choice.

McCullers faced one batter in the third. He advanced ahead 0-2 against Andrew Stevenson. Five pitches later, he surrendered a free pass. Manager Dusty Baker emerged from the dugout to end his day.

“This is definitely the best I’ve felt,” McCullers said, “definitely the best my stuff has been.”