Dang. The Cubs may not be relying on Trevor Megill, individually, to take their season in one direction or the other, but he is a big, young reliever, with a ton of upside, who throws 99 MPH out of the pen, and who could be a part of their back-end bullpen picture for a long time if things happen just right.
Unfortunately, he was also just sent to the injured list with the dreaded right forearm strain.
The #Cubs today placed RHP Trevor Megill on the 10-day IL with a right forearm strain and recalled LHP Kyle Ryan from the South Bend Alternate Site. pic.twitter.com/oDX3neBU4T
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 30, 2021
I dread the forearm strain diagnosis not because I’m a sports doctor or have any inside information on his injury in particular, but only because forearm issues are sometimes related to (or lead to) issues with the elbow, and *that’s* where long-term concern can arise.
Hopefully, that’s not what this is, because Megill is one of those guys the Cubs could absolutely turn into a dominant late-inning arm for many years to come (they’ve gotten really good at that lately, and Megill was one of those prime candidates to break out). And, indeed, he had recently begun that process, debuting for the Cubs against the Braves with two scoreless innings this week. It’s just a bummer, and I hope it’s nothing more than that.
In his place, the Cubs will return the lefty Kyle Ryan, who joins Rex Brothers, Andrew Chafin, and Justin Steele as the fourth lefty option in the pen. By now, you’re familiar with Ryan, whom I suspect will be up and down all season long (this is his second stint with the big league Cubs already).