4:09pm: It’s a Grade 2 indirect pressure for Wicks, in keeping with Bruce Levine of 670 The Rating. On condition that prognosis, it seems all however sure the southpaw will miss longer than the 15 day minimal, though a selected timetable for his return stays unclear.
12:39pm: The Cubs introduced that Jordan Wicks has been positioned on the 15-day injured listing, because the southpaw is coping with a proper indirect pressure. Proper-hander Keegan Thompson was known as up from Triple-A Iowa to take Wicks’ spot on the energetic roster.
An IL transfer appeared very probably after Wicks lasted just one 2/3 innings earlier than being eliminated in yesterday’s begin in opposition to the Cardinals. As Wicks advised MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins and different reporters, “I simply felt tightness in my proper aspect after making a pitch. I didn’t suppose an entire lot of it….Once I knew it continued a few pitches in a row, I knew one thing wasn’t proper.”
Given how indirect accidents will be tough to completely overcome, Wicks may probably be again in simply 15 days if he has prevented a severe prepare, or he is perhaps going through an absence of a number of months if the discomfort continues to linger. As Wicks advised Stebbins and firm, the damage is especially “irritating” since Friday marked solely his second look following a six-week IL stint as a consequence of a forearm pressure.
Amidst all of the accidents, Wicks has pitched fairly properly over 28 complete innings this season. The left-hander has a 4.18 ERA with above-average strikeout, hard-contact and stroll charges, although that latter 7.8BB% is just within the 54th percentile of all pitchers. These are nonetheless numbers the Cubs will fortunately take from the second-year pitcher, as Wicks has capably stepped into the rotation amidst accidents to different starters. With Wicks and Ben Brown each out, the Cubs once more have a rotation emptiness behind Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Javier Assad.
That fifth starter’s function could possibly be stuffed by a well-recognized face in Kyle Hendricks, as supervisor Craig Counsell indicated to Stebbins and different reporters that “I believe it appears like” Wicks’ damage may pave the way in which to Hendricks’ return to the rotation. Hendricks was moved to the pen final month after he was rocked for a ten.57 ERA over his first seven begins and 30 2/3 innings of the season, however he seemingly settled down in posting a 3.14 ERA in 14 1/3 frames as a reliever. Hendricks was rapidly known as into motion yesterday after Wicks’ early exit, and delivered 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball. Chicago may additionally discover stretching Hayden Wesneski again out to deal with a starter’s workload, although Wesneski has additionally emerged as a high quality arm within the Cubs’ bullpen.
