NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Cubs remain absurdly banged up, so there’s a lot to update …
After a week to rest the finger strain that just wouldn’t calm down, Seiya Suzuki is going to try out some dry swings today:
There is just no rush at this point, so hopefully Suzuki does not try to play before he’s more or less pain-free. After missing upwards of a month, if it lasts that long, we might see Suzuki need to get in a rehab game or two at Iowa or South Bend just to face live pitching in a game and make sure the finger responds well. I wouldn’t look for that to take place, at the earliest, until next week.
Meanwhile, the Cubs’ other big offseason free agent signing is also on the mend. Marcus Stroman is starting to throw again after taking some time off to rest shoulder inflammation:
The timeline on Stroman is still murky, since we don’t know what we don’t know until he actually gets back up on the mound. He said he was hoping for a few weeks – which was similar to Jed Hoyer’s hope – so I’m guessing that’s the rough estimate on a “normal” progression from here. The Cubs have every reason in the world to be very cautious with Stroman, given that his healthiness for 2023 is vastly more important than any innings he gives them this year.
As noted in the Bullets this morning, Wade Miley (shoulder) is in rest mode right now, and Drew Smyly is hoping to return before the All-Star break.
David Bote is finally returning to Iowa to re-start his rehab assignment there. Though he was over his shoulder surgery rehab, Bote reportedly started experiencing some dizziness the last time he was at Iowa, so he was shut down for a little while.
Ethan Roberts (shoulder) is also heading to Iowa this weekend to begin his rehab assignment there. It’ll be nice to have him available again, because you’d really like to see him continue to develop as a relief weapon at the big league level. He has high-leverage potential for 2023 if the Cubs can get him right by the end of the season.
