The Chicago Cubs currently own the best record in baseball at 27-12, thanks to a pair of 10-game win streaks. But even with the on-field success, they’ve battled the injury bug on their pitching staff.
The latest update on Hunter Harvey is a massive concern. Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including Gordon Edes of the Chicago Sun-Times, that imaging revealed a stress reaction in Harvey’s right triceps. The right-hander will be shut down for at least another month.
The Cubs took a flyer on Harvey for $6.5 million in the offseason. While availability is a concern for the right-hander, his ability when healthy is not. He carries a 3.19 ERA with a 26.7% strikeout rate and a 6.8% walk rate in 189 career innings. The Cubs thought they were getting an impact reliever at a bargain.
Hunter Harvey Suffers Setback with Triceps Injury
However, the right-hander has lasted just four appearances. Harvey allowed three runs in four innings before being placed on the 15-day injured list on April 8 with triceps inflammation.
Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported that Harvey threw a bullpen on May 8, but experienced similar symptoms to his injury. The Cubs’ right-hander underwent an MRI that revealed the stress reaction, leading to him getting shut down. Instead of making a key step in his rehab, it’s back to square one for Harvey and the Cubs.
“The same area where the muscle soreness was,” Counsell told Bastian. “We’re going to have to stop and reset.”
It’s another setback for a pitcher who has battled injuries throughout his career. The right-hander has made more than 50 appearances just once, which came in 2023 with the Washington Nationals. When healthy, he’s a capable back-of-the-bullpen arm that carries upper-90s velocity and a devastating splitter.
The latest setback makes Harvey a candidate to be transferred to the 60-day injured list when the Cubs need to free up a 40-man roster spot. He’s already been on the injured list for 31 days, and he’ll be out more than a month. Counsell also added that Harvey’s rehab will take place at the club’s Spring Training complex in Arizona.
Injuries Piling Up for Cubs Pitching Staff
Despite their success in terms of wins and losses, the Cubs’ pitching staff has been decimated by injuries. Chicago currently has nine pitchers on the injured list, four starters and five relievers. Four of them are in different stages of recovery from elbow surgery.
For the Cubs’ bullpen, they’re already without right-hander Porter Hodge. Hodge underwent Tommy John surgery on April 20 and won’t be back until well into the 2027 season. Left-handers Riley Martin and Caleb Thielbar are dealing with elbow and hamstring strains.
In some welcome news for the Cubs, Thielbar appears to be nearing a return. The left-hander’s bullpen session went well, and he will conduct a light mound workout on Sunday, May 10, in Texas. A rehab assignment could be in the cards the following weekend, and they’ll determine if he needs more than one outing before getting activated.
Despite the injuries, the Cubs rank 11th in bullpen ERA (3.83) and 10th in win probability added (+1.00). The club could use the trade deadline to add much-needed reinforcements to a beleaguered pitching staff, but for now, they’ll have to navigate the injury storm for the next two months. The hope is that by then, they’ll have Thielbar and Harvey back.
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