Cubs Plan to Replace Marcus Stroman Could Include 2021 1st Round Pick

The Chicago Cubs have lost Marcus Stroman to an undefined amount of time after the team discovered a fractured rib on the right-handed starting pitcher. Stroman, who was initially placed on the 15-day injured list because of inflammation in his right hip, was supposed to be back Wednesday against the White Sox. Those plans quickly changed after he experienced pain during a bullpen session on Sunday. Now, the Cubs have to look elsewhere to replace the all-star pitcher's production the rest of the way.

There is no timeline for Stroman's return in 2023, and the injury he has doesn't make a return to the starting rotation in the regular season close to a guarantee.

On Tuesday, the Parkins & Spiegel Show on 670 The Score had White Sox head team physician Nikhil N. Verma on to talk about Stroman's possible recovery. It doesn't sound great.

So, at this point the Cubs are hoping it is a very minor issue and Stroman can build back up after a long layoff and come back for the final couple of weeks in the regular season. That seems to be the best case scenario as of now.

While Stroman was certainly struggling from the end of June through July, you could point to a blister problem in London and eventually the right-hip inflammation as the biggest culprits for the terrible results. This isn't to say Stroman wasn't bound to regress after his first 16 starts, but his stuff looked completely off in his last seven starts.

The Cubs are better with Stroman and his further absence from the starting rotation can create issues down the stretch.

So, who are the Cubs going to rely on now? Javier Assad was already inserted into the rotation, taking veteran Drew Smyly's spot. Assad, 26, has made three straight starts in August and has filled in nicely, allowing just five earned runs in 16.2 innings.

Meanwhile, Smyly might get a second chance to prove his worth as a starting pitcher and take over Stroman's spot while he's out. Cubs manager David Ross mentioned Smyly as the potential next man up.

Ross did turn to Smyly to pitch the ninth inning of Wednesday night's game against the White Sox and thanks to an outfield assist from Ian Happ, Smyly kept the White Sox at three runs and was credited with the win after Christopher Morel's heroics.

Thanks to Thursday's off-day, the Cubs won't be needing Smyly in the rotation until next Tuesday, the middle game of their series against the Detroit Tigers.

I do suspect that Hayden Wesneski will also be used in some sort of piggyback situation with Smyly.

However, there may be a scenario in which the Cubs do ultimately turn to one of their pitching prospects to help out in September. No, it probably won't be Cade Horton, and maybe Ben Brown becomes a relief option, but 2021 first round pick Jordan Wicks might be making his MLB debut in 2023.

Via The Athletic.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Jordan Wicks are squarely on the radar as the Cubs try to map out the final 42 games of the season and plan for a playoff run.

...

The active roster will expand from 26 to 28 players in September. Crow-Armstrong and Wicks are viewed as polished players with advanced skills that match immediate roster needs.

I mean yeah, most of the attention there is Pete Crow-Armstrong and it's well deserved as he's been on fire at Triple-A since his promotion at the beginning of August. But also, it's great to see Wicks is being considered as a serious candidate to come up and contribute to the big-league club.

Wicks, 23, began the season at Double-A and was promoted in the summer, making his Triple-A debut on June 30. The left-handed starter now has six starts under his belt with the Iowa Cubs and his last three starts have been great.

Jordan Wicks 2023 Season
Double-A: 13 Starts, 58.1 IP, 3.39 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 29 K%, 8 BB%, 1.39 HR/9, 40.4 GB%
Triple-A: 6 Starts, 28.1 IP, 3.81 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 20.5 K%, 10.5 BB%, 0.95 HR/9, 48.1 GB%

That 3.81 ERA at Triple-A might not seem special, but consider the conditions in the Pacific Coast League, where the best team ERA is 4.48.

Although the strikeouts have gone down since going to Triple-A, Wicks has been able to consistently get weak contact and has increased his ground ball rate.

We'll see how the Cubs maneuver through the schedule the next few weeks, but if Stroman isn't back relatively soon, then Wicks might just end up pitching at Wrigley Field, trying to help the Cubs get into the playoffs.