NEWSLETTER
Hey, remember Rowan Wick? I mean, I’m sure you do, but it’s been about a calendar year since we’ve seen him in action – and even that was very brief, so it’s kinda like we haven’t really seen A LOT of him since 2019. The Cubs have had a stellar bullpen group this year, so Wick’s extended absence with a side/oblique/intercostal issue has been less noticed and pressing, but still … I liked watching him pitch!
So it is with great happiness that I share today’s news. He’s FINALLY starting a rehab assignment:
PRESS RELEASE
"Chicago Cubs Pitcher Rowan Wick Expected to Pitch for South Bend in Rehab Assignment Saturday Night."Full release:https://t.co/XUUCLZjfOl pic.twitter.com/52sKHUL68G
— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) July 17, 2021
Wick, 28, was brilliant for the Cubs from 2019-20 (2.66 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 50.2 IP), and looked to come into this season as a sure-fire back-end set-up guy. But the oblique injury he suffered in 2020 kinda reared its head again in Spring Training in various ways, and then his ramp up reportedly suffered a bit from, well, not quite setbacks, but difficulty recovering the next day after throwing.
Thankfully, apparently, that’s behind him now. So you can presume Wick’s rehab will be a bit longer than one of those two-quick-outings-and-he’s-back situations. I expect he’ll make multiple appearances at South Bend, and then maybe multiple appearances at Iowa, and that’s only if things are going very smoothly. The Cubs will want to make sure he’s recovering well.
The importance here is less about Wick helping the Cubs make a run this year – it’ll be a while before he’s back, and by then, the sell-off is likely to have taken place – and more about getting him innings and into a good place heading into the offseason. If he’s healthy, he still figures to be an important part of the 2022 bullpen for the Cubs, and I’d like to see him settle into a groove for a couple months this year, if possible.
And if he sticks around another year-ish, it’ll keep the real dream alive: a game started by Jordan Wicks, relieved by Brad Wieck, and closed by Rowan Wick.
