NEWSLETTER
A whole lotta injured Cubs players means a whole lotta injury updates can drop at the same time …
Yency Almonte (shoulder strain): This has been a challenging injury situation, as it seemed like there were times when he was close to a return, but then didn’t recover properly. He was scheduled for another opinion on the shoulder yesterday (Sun-Times), so it’s possible we learn more about what’s going on at some point today. Nobody is anticipating a return soon, though.
Adbert Alzolay (flexor strain): Craig Counsell said the “back half of July” would be the absolute earliest we could see Alzolay return (Sun-Times), so it would seem he is still a bit away from facing batters, and starting to think about a rehab assignment. You’d hope maybe to hear about live BP by mid-month?
Javier Assad (forearm strain): He has been playing catch, and since this was always expected to be a shorter-term injury – you got the sense that it was right on the border of a keep going/take a reset situation – he may be back shortly after the All-Star break (Tribune).
Ben Brown (anomalous neck issue): After a tricky diagnostic period, the news on Brown’s neck injury was as good as it gets, and he has already been back in a throwing program for a couple weeks now. He could be ready to return after the All-Star break (Sun-Times), so the thing to watch is when he heads out on a short(?) rehab assignment. The bigger question is whether he comes right back into the rotation, or if the Cubs try to ease his return, given the longer-term implications at this point.
Brennen Davis (back fracture): Yeah, that’s the bad news, if you missed it.
Caleb Kilian (teres major strain): Made his first rehab appearance last night for South Bend, so the process of a return is well underway. He’s likely to get multiple more rehab appearances before being activated (which will require a 40-man roster spot), and probably then optioned to Triple-A Iowa until a spot opens up. Then again, maybe the Cubs will simply want to see him in the second half for evaluative purposes.
Mark Leiter Jr. (forearm strain): He has already thrown a “touch and feel” bullpen session, and I’ve not heard about any kind of setback. His return, then, could come relatively quickly, maybe even before the All-Star break (Tribune). Leiter went on the 15-day IL on June 23, so he would first be eligible to return early next week.
Julian Merryweather (rib fracture): He’s reached the live BP stage of rehab, throwing in front of the coaching staff at Wrigley yesterday:
That tends to be one of the final steps before getting into game action on a rehab assignment. For Merryweather, that is likely to be several games, since he has been out so long. If that assignment starts soon enough, he could be back shortly after the All-Star break. The Cubs have REALLY missed Merryweather this year, if he would’ve pitched like the guy he was in 2023, that is.
Mike Tauchman (grade 2 groin strain): He has started light hitting and agility work, but there is not yet a timeline on when he could get back into game action (Cubs.com). Even if the Cubs aren’t going to compete this year, the timing of his return could be significant, since he has played himself into being a pretty darn good fourth outfielder for a playoff-aspirational club, and thus a possible trade candidate. If he returned to action with at least a few days to go before the Trade Deadline, that might be enough to assure teams that he’s fine, physically. Ideally he’d return more than a week out, and would show that he’s still on-time with pitches, running well, etc.
Keegan Thompson (rib fracture): No update here, but I didn’t want to ignore him.
Jordan Wicks (grade 2 oblique strain): Having suffered the injury on June 14, after only just having returned from a forearm strain, I have just had zero expectation that the Cubs were going to rush this one. Obliques are tricky, and a grade 2 strain is not an insignificant thing. Still, Craig Counsell suggested that Wicks could return in the second half of July (Sun-Times), which would be a pretty impressive recovery. We’ll see if he goes out on a rehab assignment by mid-month.
