Although we aren’t yet sure when Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano will return to the team, we know that it won’t be for a while.
Zambrano, 29, moves today from the suspended list without pay to the restricted list with pay, with a mandatory order to undergo treatment to control the emotional outbursts that have come to define him more than his pitching.
General manager Jim Hendry wouldn’t estimate how long Zambrano would be inactive but said he wouldn’t be back before the All-Star break. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
That puts Zambrano’s return – the bullpen, mind you – no sooner than July 15. That’s also assuming the counseling helps, and Zambrano apologizes to his teammates. Both Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Dempster have stated publicly that Zambrano needs to apologize, so it isn’t just coming from Lou Piniella and Jim Hendry. Given Zambrano’s bull-headed behavior in the past, it’s hard to imagine that apology coming easily.