All right. I won’t get ahead of myself, because there are still SO MANY more boxes to check before Marcus Stroman could be pitching in a game, let alone pitching WELL in an important big league Cubs game, but this is definitely a good news update.
With word that his check-in with the doctor went well and he continues to feel better, the plan is now to have Marcus Stroman actually throw a baseball. And not just very lightly playing catch, the plan is for him to play long toss today … er, actually, as I’m typing this, I see Bruce Levine reporting that Stroman already DID play long toss today. That’s a great step.
I want to start doing some calendar math, but I think I should still resist, because how could we possibly know what the recovery looks like, between throwing sessions, for a “rib cage cartilage fracture”? Until Stroman is throwing with high intent off of a mound, you really just can’t start counting the days forward to try to determine if there is enough time for him to return this season. We know he’s going to be working as hard as he can to get there, but it makes a huge difference if he’s off the mound early next week versus two weeks from now. For today, I’m just going to be happy that he’s throwing long toss. That seems pretty big to me.
Elsewhere …
The news on Michael Fulmer‘s forearm strain is really good, with David Ross comparing it to Justin Steele’s forearm strain earlier this year. That had Steele down only for a minimum length stay on the IL, and Ross suggested to Marquee that the hope is the same will be true for Fulmer. He could start throwing in a couple days, and if all goes to plan, he could be activated as soon as September 10.
Brandon Hughes is scheduled to throw his second live BP session in Arizona tomorrow. If that goes well, you could start to imagine him getting into a minor league game sometime next week. From there, it’s really just a question of how he looks in games, how quickly he recovers between outings, and whether the Cubs think he could be a contributor down the stretch. You’d love to have an effective version of Hughes back as an option for the bullpen group.
Speaking of how a guy fares in his minor league rehab games, it really hasn’t gone well for Brad Boxberger at Iowa so far. Results aren’t the only thing you’re evaluating for a veteran like him, but I don’t expect the Cubs to activate him until and unless they’re sure he can contribute at least in middle innings. They need arms to spread around the innings, yes, but if Boxberger can’t quite get to his usual self, then he might not be a better option than guys like Michael Rucker, Anthony Kay, etc., etc., much less better than call-up options like Luke Little or Shane Greene.
Nick Burdi, who’d been rehabbing after an appendectomy but was shut down with ulnar nerve irritation, will start light tosses today, and then get re-evaluated to see if there’s a plan there. Stupid appendix. Burdi really could’ve been a guy for the Cubs this year. I feel so bad for him.
NEWSLETTER
