A couple of (positive) Cubs injury updates as we await the rubber match against the Dodgers this afternoon at Wrigley Field.
Patrick Wisdom Rehab
Patrick Wisdom, who missed time this spring with a quad issue and a back injury, kicked off his rehab assignment yesterday for the Iowa Cubs. Wisdom went 0-2 with a sac fly and a strikeout while playing third base. And for whatever it’s worth to you, the two balls he put in play were well-struck: 104.3 MPH and 103.1 MPH exit velocities.
And here he is taking some BP before yesterday’s game:
Wisdom will be back out there for the I-Cubs today, DH-ing as his rehab continues. When he is ready to return to the Cubs, it’s not entirely clear what will happen. Miles Mastrobuoni might feel like the obvious candidate, but his left-handed bat, versatility, and speed isn’t a perfect 1-to-1 for Wisdom’s skillset. And Nick Madrigal has been too important to the dilemma at third base to send out either. Garrett Cooper is a more obvious connection for Wisdom, as they’re both right-handed power bats that will primarily enter at 1B or DH, but I don’t think the Cubs are really ready to move on from Cooper.
It’s a nothingburger sample, but he does have a walk, a single, a double, a triple, a homer, two runs scored, and 3 RBI in 9 plate appearances this season. Maybe this will just be a case of “wait-and-see,” because these sort of overlaps tend to handle themselves one way or another.
Jameson Taillon Rehab
In the meantime, Jameson Taillon is itching to get back into action, and will get the chance to start for the Tennessee Smokies this afternoon:
Depending on how he looks today, the Cubs will probably want Taillon to get AT LEAST 1-2 more starts in the minors before rejoining the Cubs. After all, he didn’t get into any Cactus League action this spring. On the flip side, the Cubs rotation is already without Justin Steele, meaning that the need for Taillon to return as soon as he’s ready is a little more pressing than it looked like it would be initially.
Right now, the Cubs rotation is Kyle Hendricks, Shota Imanaga, Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad, and … the bullpen. Obviously, Ben Brown is up, but the Cubs haven’t just handed over the vacant spot in the rotation to him. Instead, he’s pitch in (bulk) relief and behind an opener.
In the best case scenario, Taillon’s start today goes perfectly, he throws a bullpen this week, starts again (for Iowa or Tennessee) early next weekend, and is ready to return to the Cubs for the series in Arizona. The Cubs do have an off-day this coming Thursday, but after that it’s a ten-game stretch without any breaks, so that would be an ideal time for him to return. But again, to me, that sounds like the absolute best case scenario. So I guess we’ll see.