Great news tonight for the Cubs’ rotation, as Marcus Stroman – recently cleared to rejoin the team after being (presumably) on the COVID IL – will return to start tomorrow night against the Diamondbacks.
The full set of upcoming probables:
Cubs rotation for the weekend series with D-Backs:
Thu: Stroman
Fri: Hendricks
Sat: Steele
Sun: MileyTeam is also hopeful David Robertson might be able to return to bullpen soon.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) May 18, 2022
Stroman hasn’t pitched since May 1, when he had his best outing of the year against the Brewers. Apparently he’s been able to stay very stretched out and sharp during his absence, since he’s coming right back into the rotation after missing nearly three weeks.
After Miley, it’s an open question on whether the Cubs go with Drew Smyly or let Keegan Thompson take another start. It might depend on what happens the next four days.
Meanwhile, the return of Stroman will mean the Cubs have to make 40-man and 26-man moves before tomorrow night’s game, so keep an eye on that. Doesn’t sound like it will involve an IL stint for Daniel Norris, who left last night’s game with Achilles soreness, but feels sufficiently good today that he might even be available tonight.