Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Back to IL with oblique strain
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The Cubs placed Wicks on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right oblique strain, Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.
It's the same injury which sidelined Wicks for more than two months before he returned at the beginning of September. He posted a 7.50 ERA and 10:10 K:BB over four starts since his activation, so it's possible the lefty was never fully healthy. Wicks finishes the season having been limited to just 46 innings due to injury, holding a 5.48 ERA and 42:20 K:BB.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Done in by long balls again
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Wicks (2-4) took the loss Tuesday, giving up four runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over five innings as the Cubs fell 4-3 to the A's. He struck out four.
The southpaw got taken deep by Shea Langeliers in the first and fifth innings, with a Lawrence Butler third-inning solo shot sandwiched in between. Wicks has served up a brutal seven homers over his last two starts, but with the Cubs' playoff hopes on life support, the team has little reason to remove the 25-year-old from the rotation despite his 5.48 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 42:20 K:BB through 46 innings on the season.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Roughed up in no-decision
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Wicks did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and four walks over three innings while striking out two.
Wicks got off to a horrendous start, surrendering a leadoff homer to Shohei Ohtani to open the game, followed by three consecutive home runs with two outs in the frame. The lefty would only make it through three innings after allowing a season-high seven runs, but he still managed to avoid taking the loss thanks to a productive day on offense for Chicago. The four long balls allowed also marked a season high for Wicks, and he now carries a 7.62 ERA in September through three starts. Additionally, he's issued four walks in back-to-back outings.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Falls to Yankees
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Wicks (2-3) took the loss Friday against the Yankees, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out four.
All three runs against Wicks came in the third inning, when four straight batters reached safely to open the frame against the left-hander. The 25-year-old has allowed four runs over 10 innings in two starts since returning from a nearly three-month stint on the IL due to a strained oblique. Overall, Wicks' ERA sits at 4.03 on the season with a 1.42 WHIP and 36:14 K:BB across 38 innings. He's currently lined up for a tough road matchup with the Dodgers in his next outing.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Picks up win in return
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Wicks (2-2) pitched five innings of one-run ball to pick up the win Sunday against Washington, allowing four hits and zero walks while striking out zero.
Making his first start since June 14, Wicks breezed through the Washington lineup, using just 69 pitches to get through five frames. Things got dicey for Wicks in the second inning when he allowed the bases to be loaded with zero out, but he induced a double play and a flyout to limit the damage to one run. The 25-year-old landed on the 60-day IL back in June with an oblique strain after pitching to a 4.18 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB in 28 innings (six starts) before the injury. After throwing a modest 69 pitches on Sunday, expect Wicks workload to ramp up moving forward, starting with next weekend's scheduled start against the Yankees.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Activated to start Sunday's game
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The Cubs reinstated Wicks (oblique) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the Nationals in Washington.
Chicago recalled infielder Nick Madrigal (hand) from Triple-A Iowa and placed him on the 60-day IL to reopen a spot on the 40-man roster for Wicks, who is set to make his first appearance for the big club since June 14. After a lengthy shutdown while he recovered from a right oblique strain, Wicks began a rehab assignment with Iowa on Aug. 10 and struggled in his first two starts, but he returned to excellent form in his final two outings with the affiliate, covering 8.2 scoreless innings and recording eight strikeouts between those starts. He built up to 73 pitches in his final start with Iowa and shouldn't face much of a restriction with his workload Sunday as he slots back into Chicago's rotation.
Wicks (oblique) is expected to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to start Sunday's game against the Nationals in Washington, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Wicks had been scratched from his scheduled rehab start with Triple-A Iowa on Friday in anticipation of his return to the big club, though it wasn't immediately known whether he would be activated this weekend or early next week. The Cubs have ultimately decided to bring Wicks back for Sunday, with Jameson Taillon getting bumped back a day in the schedule to start Monday against the Pirates as a result. Before he landed on the IL on June 15 with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, Wicks compiled a 4.18 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB over 28 innings. He got stretched out to 4.2 innings and 73 pitches over the course of four minor-league rehab outings.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Could return vs. Nationals
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Wicks (oblique) was scratched from Friday's rehab start with Triple-A Iowa, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that the 24-year-old southpaw could be activated from the 60-day injured list to start this weekend against the Nationals, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Wicks has been sidelined since mid-June due to a Grade 2 right oblique strain. He began his rehab assignment in early August, and in his last outing Sunday, he tossed 4.2 scoreless innings while striking out four batters and allowing three hits and one walk. Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon are currently penciled in as the Cubs' starters for Saturday and Sunday respectively, but one of the two could be bumped back in the schedule to Monday against the Pirates if the Cubs elect to activate Wicks this weekend.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Making another rehab start
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Wicks (oblique) will make another rehab start with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Wicks struck out four over 4.2 scoreless innings Sunday with Triple-A Iowa, throwing 73 pitches. However, he will be asked to get a bit more stretched out before likely rejoining the Cubs' rotation next week, likely on Sept. 4 against the Pirates. Wicks has been sidelined since mid-June with a Grade 2 right oblique strain.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Looks ready to return from IL
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Wicks (oblique) struck out four batters over 4.2 scoreless innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Iowa. He scattered three hits and one walk.
Between his first two rehab outings at Iowa, Wicks surrendered four home runs and walked four batters while covering just 3.2 innings, but he's been much more dialed in his subsequent two starts for the Triple-A club while increasing the volume of his pitches. He built up to 73 pitches Sunday and looks like he'll be ready to return from the 60-day injured list to make his next start with the big club, providing he experiences no setbacks with his oblique coming out of his next throwing session. The Cubs have yet to confirm their plans for Wicks, but he'll presumably either be part of a six-man rotation or replace Kyle Hendricks as the club's No. 5 starter.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Sharp in latest rehab start
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Wicks (oblique) struck out four while allowing one hit and no walks over four scoreless innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Iowa.
After being tagged for 10 earned runs while walking four batters in 3.2 innings over his first two rehab starts with Iowa, Wicks showed much improved command and control Tuesday while informing the Cubs afterward that he "felt great" during the outing, per Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com. After building up to 53 pitches Tuesday, Wicks will need at least one more outing in the minors to get fully stretched out before he returns from the 60-day injured list. Kyle Hendricks would seem to be most at risk of losing his spot in the rotation once Wicks is activated.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Needs two more rehab starts
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Wicks (oblique) struck out three and allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks in his second rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Iowa. "He's got a minimum of two [rehab starts] left before he's kind of ready to pitch for us regardless," Cubs manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com on Friday, when asked about a timeline for Wicks to return from the 60-day injured list. "So, he's got time left. I think at the start of it, health is most important. And as we get closer to making a decision, then results start to get factored in more, absolutely."
Wicks has been on the IL since mid-June with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, but he's been able to steadily ramp up his workload over his first two rehab starts, tossing 43 pitches Aug. 10 and 59 pitches Thursday. The results haven't been impressive, however, as Wicks has covered just 3.2 innings between those outings while giving up 10 earned runs on nine hits -- including four home runs -- and four walks. Counsell expressed confidence that Wicks will be able to knock off the rust in his subsequent rehab outings, and the fact that the skipper notes that the lefty will make at least two more starts in the minors suggests that Wicks probably won't be activated until the final weekend of August, at the earliest. Kyle Hendricks should continue to hold down a spot at the back end of the Chicago rotation while Wicks is on the farm.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Completes first rehab start
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Wicks (oblique) covered 1.2 innings and struck out two batters while giving up six earned runs on four hits and three walks in his first rehab outing Saturday with Triple-A Iowa.
In his first game action since landing on the injured list in mid-June with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, Wicks looked rusty, but Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that the left-hander came out of the 43-pitch outing feeling healthy, per MLB.com reports. According to Brett Taylor of BleacherNation.com, Wicks' fastball velocity hovered around 91 mph in the rehab outing, a couple ticks below his average for the season. The Cubs are hopeful that Wicks can gradually ramp up both his velocity and volume of pitches during his rehab assignment, which will most likely include at least two more starts. Wicks could still be on track to return from the 60-day IL before the end of August.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Cleared for rehab assignment
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Wicks (oblique) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Iowa, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Wicks' upcoming appearance with Iowa will be his first since mid-June, when he suffered a Grade 2 right oblique strain in a start against the Cardinals. Given the length of Wicks' absence, he'll likely need at least a couple of rehab outings beyond Saturday's to get fully stretched out, assuming the Cubs still want to keep him in play as an option for the rotation. Though Kyle Hendricks has shown improvement since re-entering the rotation when Wicks went down with the injury, Hendricks is still sporting a 5.05 ERA over his nine starts since mid-June and wouldn't seem to have much security as the club's No. 5 starter.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Faces live hitters
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Wicks (oblique) threw live batting practice Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Friday marked Wicks' first time facing live hitters since he suffered a Grade 2 right oblique strain in June, and he was able to build up to 29 pitches during his first round of live BP. He will likely need a few more sessions before he heads to the minor leagues on a rehab assignment.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Tossing bullpen
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Wicks (oblique) will throw a bullpen Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Wicks' recovery from a Grade 2 right oblique strain has gone more slowly than expected, but he'll throw off a mound Friday for the first time since being placed on the IL on June 15. Wicks becomes eligible to return from the 60-day IL in mid-August, but he may require more time to recover.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Shifts to 60-day IL
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Wicks (oblique) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The left-hander landed on the shelf in mid-June with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, and he hasn't recovered as quickly as the Cubs had hoped. Wicks will be eligible to return in mid-August, but he may need to ramp up his throwing soon in order to have a chance of avoiding a longer absence.
