The Chicago Cubs thought Marcus Stroman was going to be back Wednesday against the White Sox, but now the All-Star pitcher’s status is completely unknown after a fractured rib was discovered.
Stroman felt the pain during his bullpen session on Sunday in Toronto and on Tuesday the Cubs learned he would not be ready to come off the injured list. He was originally sidelined with right hip inflammation. Now, Stroman is dealing with a fractured rib and there is no timetable for his return.
Absolutely brutal for the Cubs, who are already threading the needle with their starting rotation.
Javier Assad is making the start Wednesday night at Wrigley Field. With a few off days this week, the Cubs are turning back to Jameson Taillon, Justin Steele and Kyle Hendricks this weekend against the Kansas City Royals.
Left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly was recently moved to the bullpen following his prolonged struggles in the rotation.
The Cubs starting rotation was a strength of the team early in the 2023 season, posting a top-10 ERA heading into the All-Star break. However, in the past month, Cubs starting pitchers have been near the bottom of the league, ranking 27th overall with a 5.49 ERA.
Stroman’s injury certainly did not help his effort on the mound, as he posted a 9.00 ERA in 30 innings between June 25-July 31, allowing 30 earned runs in seven starts. Prior to that terrible stretch that led up to the injury list stint, Stroman was dominant, recording a 2.28 ERA in his first 16 starts of the season. Even if Stroman wasn’t going to get back to that type of production, the Cubs felt he’d be more than capable of getting back on track from his brutal July numbers.
Now? Now, the Cubs have to figure out what to do with their starting rotation and entire pitching staff that has been taxed since the All-Star break because of shorter outings from the starters. Assad is going to have to step up the rest of the way and maybe the Cubs look to their minor league system to get a few more pitchers in the mix to contribute down the stretch if Stroman’s absence goes deep into September.
There’s also Hayden Wesneski still pitching out of the bullpen. I wish he had a better defined role, but maybe now he’ll be pushed back to the rotation with Stroman out. As far as the minor league prospects, Ben Brown is currently out with a lat injury, although it’s characterized as not being serious. Jordan Wicks is in the rotation at Triple-A and could be considered as well.
And then there’s Cade Horton, the number one pitching prospect in the Cubs system. Would the Cubs be this aggressive? Probably not, but I’m a fan and I’m not being rational. I want it, but it probably shouldn’t happen this early for the 2022 first round pick, who is at Double-A right now.
Wouldn’t hate it though!
