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: 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.
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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: 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: 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: Ruled out through All-Star break
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Wicks (oblique) is not expected to return until after the All-Star break, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Wicks was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right oblique strain just under two weeks ago and has not yet been cleared to begin a throwing program. He'll need to be built back up and eventually require a rehab assignment before returning, so the left-hander still looks to be several weeks away.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Has Grade 2 oblique strain
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Wicks was diagnosed Saturday with a Grade 2 right oblique strain, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Manager Craig Counsell didn't offer much of a timeline for Wicks' recovery, mentioning only that Wicks was "going to miss some time." However, a Grade 2 sprain likely indicates that Wicks will be sidelined for significantly longer than the minimum 15 days, leaving his rotation spot to Kyle Hendricks for the foreseeable future. Wicks sustained the injury Friday during his first start since April after spending a month on the 15-day injured list due to a forearm injury. The Cubs placed him on the IL prior to Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: IL move made official
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The Cubs placed Wicks on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right oblique strain, Taylor McGregor reports.
Wicks had to be pulled from Friday's start against the Cardinals in the second inning due to the injury. It's unclear what grade the strain is, so it's difficult to project a return date. Typically, even low-grade oblique strains result in absences beyond the minimum 15 days. Kyle Hendricks will slide into Wicks' rotation spot.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: IL stint likely
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after Friday's 3-0 loss to the Cardinals that Wicks will get an MRI for his right oblique and that a stint on the injured list is "likely," Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Wicks was lifted from Friday's game after just 1.2 innings due to right oblique discomfort. He was previously on the injured list due to a left forearm strain that kept him out of action for nearly six weeks. Wicks made two appearances since being activated from the IL on June 7, including Friday's start. Kyle Hendricks came in to replace Wicks on Friday, and he figures to enter the Cubs' rotation.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Dealing with oblique injury
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Wicks had to be lifted from Friday's start versus the Cardinals because of right oblique discomfort, Marquee Sports Network reports.
Wicks recorded just five outs before having to be removed. Cubs manager Craig Counsell said during an in-game interview that the pitcher "felt it pretty good," but the team won't know more until after he's examined following the game. Kyle Hendricks replaced Wicks on Friday and is the obvious candidate to move into the rotation if the young southpaw needs to miss time, which seems likely.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Allows one run in relief Saturday
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Wicks (forearm) allowed one run on three hits across 3.1 innings of relief in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Reds. He walked one and struck out two.
Wicks made his first appearance since April 23 after sustaining a forearm strain in his throwing arm. After coming off the injured list Friday, the lefty was deployed in relief for the first time in the big leagues, as he had served as the team's fifth starter before he got injured. Rookie Ben Brown maintained his spot in the rotation Saturday but was lifted after giving up three runs over four innings, resulting in Wicks getting some extended work behind him. Brown has now been charged with eight earned runs over nine innings across his last two starts, potentially putting his spot in the rotation in jeopardy now that Wicks is back. If the Cubs don't decide to drop Brown from the rotation, Wicks could still have some fantasy value if he ends up working as a piggyback pitcher behind Brown in the latter's subsequent starts.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Rejoining active roster
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Wicks (forearm) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Wicks will be back with the Cubs for the first time since late April after sustaining a forearm strain in his throwing arm. He's completed 3.1 innings in each of his last two rehab starts and was stretched out to 65 pitches in his latest appearance. While Wicks previously served as the Cubs' fifth starter, rookie Ben Brown has impressed as part of the rotation and could push Wicks to the bullpen. Before going down, Wicks had a 4.70 ERA across 23.0 innings.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Goes three-plus frames in rehab start
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Wicks (forearm) worked 3.1 innings Sunday in his third rehab start for Triple-A Iowa, striking out three while giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks.
Wicks has now covered exactly 3.1 innings in consecutive outings for Iowa, though after tossing 52 pitches Tuesday, he built up to 65 pitches (34 strikes) on Sunday. While Hicks no longer appears to be plagued by the left forearm strain that landed him on the 15-day injured list April 28, the Cubs may want to nonetheless have him reach 75 pitches in another rehab start before activating him. Once Wicks is ready to go, the Cubs will have to decide whether to send him or Ben Brown to the bullpen, or keep both pitchers in starting roles as part of a six-man rotation.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Making rehab start Sunday
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Wicks (forearm) is scheduled for a rehab start with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The 24-year-old covered 3.1 innings during his previous rehab outing Tuesday and will continue building up his workload Sunday with Iowa. It remains to be seen if Wicks will require an additional rehab appearance or if he'll be cleared to rejoin the Cubs.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Making another rehab start
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Wicks (forearm) is starting for Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Wicks will make his second rehab appearance at Triple-A Iowa after going two scoreless innings with three strikeouts Friday. He's still in the process of getting stretched out, so it's expected Wicks will need a couple more rehab starts before being activated.
