The Chicago Cubs are starting the month of May with a winning record and are well within reach of the National League Central division. Before the season began, and considering the difficulty of the April schedule, anyone would have been okay with the Cubs being .500 at this point. Then, when you factor in the injuries, this team is just defying any odds coming their way.
It started in spring training when Jameson Taillon did not even make a start. After calf tightness sidelined him, he injured his back, preparing for his only spring start. It didn’t happen, and he started 2024 on the injured list. He has since returned from injury and looked rather impressive in his first handful of starts.
The season began with Justin Steele injuring a hamstring on Opening Day and immediately heading to the injured list. He is currently close to returning. Julian Merryweather joined Steele on the list with a back injury that will have him out for a long time. A couple of weeks later, Seiya Suzuki, who was off to a fantastic start, had to be shut down due to an oblique injury. The disaster continued just days later as Cody Bellinger collided with the outfield wall and fractured a couple of ribs.
April was a massacre of the roster the Cubs expected to compete with nightly. Heavy hitters projected to carry the team through an important 2024 campaign were sidelined for an extended time. Not only is their lack of presence known on the field, but the Cubs’ pocketbook is also feeling the pain.
The Cubs currently have $82 million worth of talent taking up room on their injured list. That is about one-third of the 2024 payroll and the most by team in Major League Baseball. Given that staggering number, this team should be scrapping and clawing to keep up with merely a wild-card opportunity. However, here they are in the thick of the best teams in baseball.
ESPN and MLB both power rank the Cubs as the eighth-best team in baseball, and the Athletic ranks them seventh-best. All of this success is coming when the Cubs have yet to field a team at top full-strength. Shōta Imanaga has been historically good in the starting rotation. After a shaky start (despite a few sore spots), the bullpen has started to gel and turn things around. Ben Brown has fit into the starting rotation about as well as anyone could ask for in a young top-prospect.
Alexander Canario, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Matt Mervis have all contributed at least a couple of times during the stretch of key absences. PCA, in particular, will make it difficult for the Cubs to send him down when Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger come back from injury. His speed and defense are electric, and his plate appearances have shown growth since his short 2023 stint.
Other prospects like Cade Horton, Owen Caissie, and Matt Shaw have not yet made it to the Chicago Cubs roster. However, their success in the minors this season shows their ability to come up and make a difference when called upon. All three have shown the traits to be able to impact the Cubs this season.
This Cubs team has been resilient in the face of adversity all season. The struggles are apparent, but the amount of guys stepping up to keep the team afloat and winning proves how complete the organization is. This team is proving just how ready they are to win.
