Cubs Preparing to Make Change in Starting Rotation

Craig Counsell didn’t want to go into too much detail, but it definitely sounds like the Chicago Cubs are preparing to make a change in the starting rotation. Left-hander Jordan Wicks has made a handful of rehab starts at Triple-A this month and after being out since the middle of June because of an oblique injury, the 2021 first round pick of the Cubs could be starting against the Washington Nationals this weekend.

Wicks, 24, was placed on the 15-day injured list June 15, which came just eight days after he come off the IL with a forearm strain that occurred in April.

The left-hander had a minor setback in July, when he was attempting to recover from an oblique strain that happened in his starts against the St. Louis Cardinals in June, but now it appears as though Wicks will be back pitching for the Cubs.

Wicks was originally penciled in as the starting pitcher for the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A Friday night, but he was scratched earlier in the day, which then brought on speculation that he would be back in the majors against the Nationals.

Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon are the scheduled starting pitchers on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, but if Wicks does indeed slot into one of their spots it might actually be Kyle Hendricks who gets bumped from the rotation.

Via the Chicago Tribune.

“We have a little uncertainty with who’s exactly going to pitch which day,” Counsell said. “We’re going to just kind of leave it like that for now. I mean, that puts Kyle (Hendricks) in some uncertainty right now. That’s where we’ll kind of be until we just play the game and then get make a decision when we have to.”

Hendricks, 34, was victim to some poor defense in his last start earlier this week against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the veteran has not earned the benefit of the doubt in 2024. The 2016 World Series hero has a 6.75 ERA in 102.2 innings in 2024 and has only pitched beyond the fifth inning twice in his last 10 starts.

Because of the injuries, Wicks has been limited to 28 innings this season with the Cubs. The young lefty has put up solid results, recording a 4.18 with 32 strikeouts in six starts and one relief outing this year.

In his last rehab start at Triple-A, Wicks tossed 4.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, a walk and three hits allowed that extended his scoreless streak to 8.2 innings.

Before the injuries derailed Wicks’ season, he pitched his best game of the year against the Houston Astros on April 23, going 6 innings and allowing a pair of runs on five hits. He struck out four and did not walk a hitter,, while getting eight outs on the ground.