Marquez signed a minor-league contract with the Astros on Sunday.
Marquez missed two seasons following shoulder surgery and struggled upon his return last year, posting a 4.99 ERA and 44:38 K:BB over 30.2 frames across four levels in the minors. The left-hander will turn just 25 next month, though, so the Astros felt the former top prospect was worth a roll of the dice.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Activated, assigned to Double-A
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Triple-A Iowa reinstated Marquez (shoulder) from its 60-day injured list July 18 and assigned him to Double-A Tennessee.
Marquez was sidelined for the first two-plus months of the season while recovering from left shoulder surgery before he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League in late June. He eventually moved his rehab to Single-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend before settling at Tennessee. Marquez has tossed a pair of scoreless innings over two appearances at Double-A and could join the Triple-A bullpen before season's end after knocking some rust off.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Rehabbing at High-A
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Marquez (shoulder) shifted his rehab assignment to High-A South Bend last weekend and struck out three batters in two perfect innings over two appearances with the affiliate.
Marquez remains on Triple-A Iowa's 60-day injured list while he works his way back from left shoulder surgery. He likely won't need many more tune-up appearances in the lower levels of the minors before making his 2023 debut for Iowa, given how sharp he's been during his rehab assignment. Over stops with South Bend, Single-A Myrtle Beach and the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Marquez has yet to allow an earned run and has struck out nine over 7.1 innings.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Not throwing yet
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Marquez (shoulder) has yet to begin a throwing program, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
He underwent a debridement procedure on his left shoulder last June and, upon reporting to camp in February, doctors determined the shoulder was still too tight to allow the southpaw to resume throwing. Marquez has been on a stretching program for the last three weeks and still needs to build up more strength in the shoulder before he's cleared to throw. It sounds like it's going to be quite a while before the former top prospect might be game-ready again. Marquez was non-tendered by the Cubs over the winter before being re-signed to a minor-league deal.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Back with Cubs on minors deal
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Marquez (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Marquez is just 23 years old and once had a fair amount of prospect hype, but he's made just a single competitive appearance across the last three years. He made his big-league debut in 2020 but has otherwise not pitched above the High-A level, as he's battled shoulder troubles for the last two seasons. The Cubs non-tendered him back in November, but he'll return to the organization on a minor-league deal. That presumably means the Cubs still think he has some promise, but whether or not he'll be healthy enough to help the team any time soon remains to be seen.
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Brailyn Marquez: Cut loose by Cubs
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The Cubs declined to tender Marquez (shoulder) a contract for 2023, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Once a highly-touted prospect, Marquez missed all of 2021 with a shoulder injury and never got back into a competitive setting in 2022. He went under the knife for shoulder surgery in June and is a total wild card entering 2023. Marquez made one appearance for the Cubs in 2020 but had never previously pitched above the High-A level.
Marquez underwent left shoulder surgery last month and will miss the rest of the season, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
A shoulder injury cost Marquez all of the 2021 campaign, and it will sideline him for all of 2022 as well. A timeline for his recovery was not revealed, so it remains to be seen when he will be ready to get back on the bump.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Game action not imminent
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Marquez is still throwing from flat ground, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Marquez was not assigned to a minor-league level to begin the 2022 season, with the focus instead being on building up his arm strength. That's still a work in progress, as general manager Jed Hoyer said that the team is hoping Marquez will be able to throw off a mound soon. Until he is able to do so, he remains relatively far from game action.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Building up arm strength
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Marquez is still building up arm strength in extended spring training before being assigned to the upper levels of the minors, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.
He was a late arrival to spring training after getting COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic. Given that Marquez missed all of 2021 with a shoulder injury, he was going to have his workload managed this season anyway, so the Cubs may not be in a rush to send him to a full-season affiliate. He should open at either Double-A or Triple-A and may have some rust to knock off.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Arrives at camp
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Marquez (shoulder) arrived at camp Monday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Marquez was delayed by what had been referred to as travel complications, but the young lefty disclosed Monday that it was a positive COVID-19 test that ended up setting him back. He's feeling better now and will begin a slightly belated spring buildup program.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Dealing with travel complications
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Manager David Ross said Monday that Marquez (shoulder) hasn't yet reported to camp due to travel complications, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Marquez didn't appear in any minor-league games in 2021, mainly due to a left shoulder strain. After the left-hander got a delayed start to spring training last year, he was unable to report to camp on time in 2022. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to join the team or how his absence will impact his availability to begin the 2022 campaign.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Going through throwing program
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Marquez (shoulder) is currently participating in a throwing program in Arizona, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Marquez was sidelined for the entire minor-league season, much of which was due to the shoulder injury. However, he is now expected to be ready for the start of spring training and could end up at either Double-A or Triple-A.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Out with shoulder strain
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Marquez has not pitched in the minors this season due to a left shoulder strain, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Obviously the injury is concerning, as is the lost developmental time for Marquez, who was limited mostly to working at the alternate training site last year and was limited this spring. Marquez already came with a lot of bullpen risk due to command and consistency concerns, and now durability appears to be another concern.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Building up arm strength
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Marquez is in extended spring training building up arm strength, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.
He will head to Double-A Tennessee once his arm is ready to handle a starter's workload. Marquez, who got a cup of coffee in the majors last season, does not appear particularly close to getting back to the big leagues.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Sent to minors
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Marquez was optioned to Double-A Tennessee on Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Marquez had the start of his camp delayed due to the COVID-19 intake process and never really had a chance to make the Opening Day roster. Although the 22-year-old made his MLB debut last year, he's yet to throw an inning at the Double-A or Triple-A levels, so he'll start the season at the former and have the chance to work his way up.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: Yet to throw off mound
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Marquez has yet to throw off a mound this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Marquez is healthy to begin spring training, but his start to camp was delayed due to the intake protocol process. Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said that the southpaw is playing catch and building up arm strength as he works up to full speed. Marquez could compete for the Cubs' open rotation spot this spring once he's healthy, but the 22-year-old will likely start the season in the minors due to his lack of experience against upper-level competition.
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Cubs' Brailyn Marquez: In the mix for rotation spot
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Marquez is one of several players who will vie for an open rotation spot with the Cubs this spring, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
The talented 22-year-old made his MLB debut in the last game of the 2020 regular season, pitching two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen. Since then, the Cubs have parted ways with Yu Darvish, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood. Kyle Hendricks and Alec Mills return and will occupy rotation spots, while offseason additions Zach Davies and Jake Arrieta should also start. That leaves the fifth spot, and Marquez certainly has the talent to grab the role and run with it. However, the lefty has yet to pitch in the Double- or Triple-A levels, so the organization will likely get him more experience in the minors this season.
