Kerry Wood is responding well to the cortisone injection he received earlier this week. His shoulder is feeling better, and he might be good to go in time for the start of this weekend’s series against the Reds.
“He already said he felt relief from it, so that’s good,’’ Sveum said to reporters yesterday. “Hopefully, he’s ready to go on Friday.’’
Whenever Wood does come back, he’s not going to pitch on back-to-back days for a long time, both because of this injury, and a history of various issues.
“You have the concerns,” Sveum said. “There is a track record there. When he gets up [in the bullpen], he gets in a game. And we’ll see what happens when the weather gets better, as far as going back-to-back games. But it’ll still be an every-other-day thing until we know he’s feeling great and he’s really strong.’’
That’s going to mean more late inning opportunities for guys like Rafael Dolis and James Russell.
If Wood isn’t able to go this weekend, he’ll likely be sent to the disabled list so that the Cubs can add another reliever.
“I think probably if we get to that point we’re going to have to get somebody here,” Sveum said. “That’s why you get shots to make things speed up a little bit, and obviously if it’s a five-day plan things didn’t speed up to well.”
Options at AAA to come up and fill in for a little stretch include a handful of guys who almost made the pen out of Spring Training, like Frankie De La Cruz, Manny Corpas, and Blake Parker. It could also be a lefty like Scott Maine or Jeff Beliveau. I doubt the Cubs would pull anyone out of the Iowa rotation for a bullpen fill-in, so I’d expect guys like Casey Coleman and Jay Jackson to stay down (yes, Randy Wells and Travis Wood, too).