NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Cubs were in a rough spot with starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks, whose performance this year has featured a worst-case-scenario mix of execution struggles, too many balls in play, and a sprinkling of bad luck. And since no one believes natural regression on the last one is going to make up for the other two, something had to give before Hendricks could be permitted to make his next scheduled start this weekend.
That something was Hendricks’ lower back, according to the Cubs’ announcement of roster moves today. Hendricks, together with Drew Smyly (left hip impingement), goes on the 15-day IL, and Hayden Wesneski and Luke Little return to the bullpen to take their place.
Until today, there wasn’t any public indication that Hendricks was dealing with a back issue, but, speaking as a man who is typing this post literally laying on his back due to injury, we know back problem pop up for pretty much everyone at some point after age-30. It wouldn’t at all be unusual for Hendricks to have been pitching through minor back problems that simply got to a point where everyone involved started wondering whether it was best to give him a physical reset. Indeed, it sounds like he started feeling the back before Sunday’s start, and it got worse as the day went on (Montemurro).
I know what you’re thinking, and thus I cannot in good conscience go through this post without talking about the whole “phantom IL” thing. I want to do so delicately because (1) I don’t want to make any assumptions, (2) I don’t want to downplay any legitimate physical issues at play, and (3) the league put everyone on notice last year with Billy Eppler that they were going to be cracking down on any phantom IL stints.
The reality of the roster situation is that you have a starting pitcher who is badly struggling, who cannot be optioned to the minors, and who may not be impactful out of the bullpen, all while you have other starting options available. This situation puts people on alert for a possible “phantom IL” stint about as much as any situation could. I am not blind. I see that.
Still, I want to be careful about making any declarations from the outside, especially when I strongly doubt the Cubs would do this if there weren’t at least some legitimate physical justification (and, again, Hendricks apparently indicated as much).
Sure, the timing here for the Cubs – they can’t hide Hendricks in any other way – is notably coincidental and convenient. But keep in mind, frequently the timing ISN’T merely coincidental, because physical health and player performance are inextricably linked. For a guy like Hendricks, where the margins between good and bad performance are so slim, it’s not at all hard to imagine that the tiniest of tweaks in his back could impact his command and execution, and that would, in turn, impact his performance.
So now Hendricks can rest up, get right physically, and then work to get his execution back to where it needs to be. He can do this in various controlled environments, where the performance blips won’t be hurting the big league team. When he gets right, he’ll be back. Hopefully he feels better soon, and the work to get back to form is swift and effective.
In the meantime, this could be how Ben Brown stays in the rotation, at least until Justin Steele is ready to return (at which point one of Brown or Javier Assad would move to the bullpen or the Triple-A rotation).
As for Wesneski, I expect he’ll once again contribute in long relief as necessary. It’s not a glamorous role, but – as he showed in his last appearance – it can be a tremendously important one. Little will resume some match-up lefty duties, while also hopefully continuing to develop his later-inning skills.
