As we’ve discussed before, the Chicago Cubs’ best reliever in the second half last year arguably wasn’t Hector Rondon or Pedro Strop or Neil Ramirez – it could have been Justin Grimm.
Thus, the forearm injury that sidelined Grimm late in Spring Training was a damaging blow to the Cubs, even as they had the depth to accommodate it as best they could (at least until Neil Ramirez also went down – then there were some troubles).
Great news on that front: after tuning up at extended Spring Training, Grimm is headed to AAA Iowa to begin a rehab assignment (Muskat, Miles). Grimm threw just once in extended Spring Training, striking out the side yesterday, and generally looking overpowering, according to Arizona Phil. Clearly, the Cubs must have felt very comfortable with how he looked, as well, since he immediately headed out for Iowa.
With a few appearances at Iowa, depending on how he’s feeling and how much time he needs to be big league ready, Grimm could be back very soon. I wouldn’t expect him any sooner than a week or two, but this is great news all around.