I wouldn’t say it’s “easy to forget” that the Cubs are really banged up, but I do think we don’t mention the injuries very often in relation to the team’s poor performance over the past month. I don’t think they would be “good” if fully healthy, but they have unquestionably been worse because they are missing so many key players.
Updates on those injured players, via the Sun-Times’ Maddie Lee:
Lee reports that both Smyly and Stroman felt good coming out of their most recent bullpen sessions, so there’s progress there. I wouldn’t COUNT on a return to the big leagues before the All-Star break, but it’s looking possible. Wade Miley (shoulder) is still resting, with an evaluation/plan to come maybe next week. You can assume the Cubs’ goal is to orient the rehab around him having time for one or two healthy starts before the Trade Deadline.
As for the bats, good to hear that Seiya Suzuki is hitting in the cage as part of a progression. That could mean live BP is just around the corner, and then it would be pretty quick to game action (maybe a Complex League game in Arizona first). I’ll stay optimistic and say we might see him on a rehab assignment sometime next week.
You didn’t forget about Michael Hermosillo, did you?! What a bummer for him that the quad injury turned out to be so serious and has kept him out almost all year. Then again, even if he’d been healthy, it seems pretty clear he wouldn’t have been getting playing time, since, well, you know. Once he’s recovered, the Cubs will have a decision to make on how to proceed (he does not have minor league options remaining), but he might get a very long minor league rehab stint before that. And sometimes things work themselves out organically, as we’ve seen. I just hope he gets healthy and a shot at getting the bat back on track.