NEWSLETTER
If you were wondering who the first reliever in line to come up in case of injury would be, well there’s your answer: Brian Schlitter gets the call, and joins the Cubs’ bullpen in Colorado. Although Schlitter had a dicey Spring, in terms of the numbers, he came in for regular praise from pitching coach Chris Bosio, and was, at times, very effective last year. He throws a hard sinker that should induce lots of grounders, though he does also give up quite a few hits.
It’s Justin Grimm going to the disabled list with what the Cubs are calling right forearm inflammation. Grimm, who was lights out in the second half last year, was not particularly effective in Spring Training, and didn’t appear in the last few games. Grimm’s final Spring outing came on April 1 against the Brewers – he gave up three hits, a walk, and did not retire a batter. His 15-day DL stint, then, is backdated to April 2.
Hopefully this is just a minor, getting-ready-for-the-year-and-pushed-too-hard kind of injury. Pitcher forearms can make you a little nervous, because of their relationship to the elbow – sometimes what feels like a forearm issue is actually an elbow ligament issue. But, more often than not, a forearm issue is just a forearm issue. So don’t go jumping to any conclusions just yet.
Grimm was so, so good in the second half of 2014 that, even with a solid group around him, losing Grimm for any significant stretch of time would sting. Tentatively, the early signal is good:
Maddon does not think Justin Grimm's injury is serious. Also said Baez should take as much time as he needs after passing of his sister
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) April 10, 2015
