The Cubs’ bullpen hasn’t really missed a beat with Carl Edwards Jr. on the sidelines, but it’s still good to hear that the hard-throwing right-handed set-up man, one of the best in the Cubs bullpen, is making some progress after being sent to the disabled list (shoulder) on May 30:
Carl Edwards Jr. will accompany #Cubs to trip to St. Louis and throw over the weekend, Jim Hickey says. He's about a week away from returning.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) June 13, 2018
Edwards had been relegated to rest and strength exercises before playing catch on Tuesday. It was his first throwing event since landing on the DL because of right-shoulder inflammation on May 30. If he can follow that up with some successful (and pain-free) throwing sessions this weekend in St. Louis, it would certainly help establish a projected timeline for a return (Michael: If he’s really only a week away from returning as 670 The Score seems to imply, I’ll be thrilled. I thought he was going to be out much longer than that). As Brett wrote yesterday, relievers tend to return more quickly than starters, but I imagine the Cubs will be cautious with Edwards – especially knowing he has battled shoulder problems before.
In any case, if you forgot, things were going really well (if not better than ever) for Edwards prior to the DL stint, as he posted a tidy 2.88 ERA (and an even better 2.38 FIP) to go along with a solid 38.1 K% and an improved 11.4 BB%. Getting him back as soon as possible will be huge and it sounds like we’re on the right track.