NEWSLETTER
A trio of injury notes to get you up to speed on …
If you missed it last night, Patrick Wisdom got X-rays on his wrist – after the game – for the hit by pitch, and Wisdom said they came up all clear. The pitch really got him good, so I would be surprised if there wasn’t soreness there for several more days, though. That doesn’t mean this becomes an Injured List situation, but he might be out for a little bit (and then, as with all things wrist, you wonder if there is any lingering impact – hopefully not, since the Cubs need Wisdom’s power).
Meanwhile, Seiya Suzuki played in an intrasquad game in Arizona yesterday, getting a couple at bats and playing four innings in the field. Arizona Phil reports that Suzuki hit sharply into a double-play, and also took a “glancing” HBP from Porter Hodge. Suzuki appeared to have no issues running the bases or tracking things in the field. Now we wait to see when his next appearance is, either in an extended spring training game (still a controlled environment, but slightly less so than an intrasquad game), or if he heads out on a rehab assignment. I tend to think that latter bit won’t happen until this weekend, as the Cubs have really taken things slowly even as Suzuki seems to be checking all the health boxes on the quicker side of things.
Lastly, Brandon Hughes (knee) threw live BP this weekend, and Jordan Bastian reports there were no issues. Hughes will throw again tomorrow. If that goes well, my guess is he gets game experience as soon as this weekend, and the Cubs will start plotting out his return to the big league team. Keep in mind, with him, although it was a legit knee issue, the Cubs are probably also trying to make sure Hughes is in a good and fully-ramped-up place before they bring him back. That, in turn, will give them more time to evaluate the current eight in the bullpen, since they’ll have to make a corresponding move when Hughes is ready.
