The Cubs have put Michael Fulmer on the 15-day injured list due to a right forearm strain. The placement is retroactive to August 25. The move creates a roster spot for Jordan Wicks, who has been promoted to make his MLB debut in a start against the Pirates tonight.
Fulmer’s checkered injury history includes an ulnar nerve transposition surgery in 2017 and a Tommy John procedure in 2019, so another forearm-related issue is certainly a major concern for the 30-year-old right-hander. The severity of his current strain isn’t known, but it would certainly seem like Fulmer could miss more than the minimum 15 days, perhaps simply as a precaution given his past injuries. As such, the possibility exists that Fulmer’s 2023 season could be in jeopardy, given the lack of time remaining on the MLB calendar.
Winning AL Rookie Of The Year honors with the Tigers in 2016, Fulmer’s injury-related absences eventually saw him move to full-time relief pitching, which gave his career a second act. After posting a 3.17 ERA over 113 1/3 innings with the Tigers and Twins from 2021-22, Fulmer signed a one-year, $4MM free agent deal to join the Cubs last winter.
The bottom-line performance hasn’t quite been there, as Fulmer has a 4.47 ERA over 56 1/3 frames for the Wrigleyville squad. However, a 3.96 SIERA basically matches Fulmer’s 3.80 SIERA from 2021-22, so it could be that things are just balancing out after a bit of good fortune in the previous two seasons. Fulmer has greatly improved his hard-hit ball rate and whiff rate (both sit in the 90th percentile of all pitchers) and his 27% strikeout rate is the best of his career. On the downside, Fulmer has struggled with his control for the second straight year, with his 11.6% walk rate ranking in the bottom 10th percentile of all pitchers.
A lot of Fulmer’s struggles came earlier in the season, as he had a 1.83 ERA over 34 1/3 innings and 32 appearances prior to a rough outing last Monday, when he gave up three runs over just a third of an inning against Detroit. Since Fulmer also pitched a scoreless inning on Thursday, it’s probably safe to assume that his forearm strain didn’t emerge during that Monday game.
Fulmer’s absence creates another hole in Chicago’s bullpen, though Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (X link) writes that Brad Boxberger is set to make another rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. Boxberger hasn’t pitched since mid-May due to a forearm strain of his own, but the veteran reliever looks to be on his way back to action. The news isn’t as good for Nick Burdi, who has also been out since May dealing with appendicitis, but the righty is now dealing with ulnar nerve irritation. More will be known about Burdi’s condition after he is re-evaluated in a few days’ time.
These bullpen injuries could explain why Drew Smyly will be headed back to the bullpen to provide some extra depth, while the Cubs turn to a younger arm like Wicks to try and fill the rotation gap left by Marcus Stroman (whose season is also in question due to a rib cartilage fracture). It makes for a lot of pitching questions for a team in a pennant race, as the Cubs currently hold the third NL wild card spot and are still within range of the Brewers for first place in the NL Central.
This brings a huge slow down to the Wicks call up parade.
My chest just cannot handle watching Cuas pitch anywhere near the 7th or 8th inning.
With roster expansion coming Friday I’m guessing this might moved Cade Horton up a peg although the idea is that he’s pretty much innings maxed out almost.
At some point Merryweather and Alzolay are either going to hit a huge speed bump or their arms will fall off.
So, does Palencia slot up in the circle of trust?
Mike, I’m with you on Cuas, I think I want Velasquez back lol. I hate to see this happen to Fulmer. I guess it could create an opportunity for Luke Little. Also it’s a chance for Palencia to grow in experience handling pressure.
Cuas reminds me too much of Carlos Marmol. He loves to see the ball break 15 feet when nobody will ever swing at it. Marmol could never get it into his head that having a slider that moves 2 inches off the barrel is effective while a 15 foot breaking slider is a waste of time. Hopefully the dreaded forearm strain doesn’t mean anything as Fullmer was looking like the guy we all thought he was when we signed him.
Fingers crossed.
This is most likely giving the guy a breather and opening up a roster spot for Wicks Cubs are trying to pack the staff with fresh arms until Sept 1 expansion of roster
You don’t give your 7th-8th inning guy a “breather” to open a spot for someone to make a debut.
You don’t give any contributing pitcher, in a playoff race, a “breather.”
This is more likely a badly timed injury…..not more likely….definitely.
Cade Horton should be called up as a bullpen arm. He certainly has the stuff.
I really don’t think Horton is an option. The Cubs have limited him to pitching every 7 days., So they are taking things slowly. He has 79 IP and only 18 at AA. I doubt they allow him to break 100 IP this season and probably not high leverage on an MLB mound.
Relax 1Lets just see if Keegan Thompson slides in there, Thats not Mark Leiter or Adbert
If they’re reduced to pinning hopes on Boxberger .. man.. Palencia and Cuas are shaky.. Leiter and Alzolay’s arms have to be getting awful tired. They’re gonna have to bring a couple more kids up and cross their fingers.
Burdi brothers average 3-4 appearances each per season and spend the rest of the time on the DL. SMH….
I said it before and I will say it again Luke Little. I think he is going to be a dominant reliever. He had already pitched well at three levels this season.
Wow he’s only 30?
Yeah, Fulmer is a poster boy for peaking early. I thought he might be a combination of David Wells and Lance Lynn, but that doesn’t look like Fulmer’s fate.
He has a history of making minor injuries worse by pitching through pain. I hope the best for him because he really seems to care about winning, but this doesn’t look good.
Yeah it’s not looking good for the Cubbies. Tonight they finally have a big lead. But they’ve been struggling to beat bad teams. They lost the series to an overpaid, disappointing Mets club. They split a 2-gamer vs the awful Sox only due to a walkoff homer by the shirtless Morel. And they barely beat the Tigers, etc. They’ve had a weak schedule and have struggled. What would they do against good teams? I guess we’ll find out soon, as a series against the first place Brewers looms. Overall, while they might sneak into the playoffs, they’re not going to beat teams like the Braves or Dodgers. And losing Belli and even Candilario will make it tough for them to get better in 2024. I don’t know if Jed is going to go 7 years for a guy who was basically unplayable the past couple of years. I know I wouldn’t. Yet he’s so important to the Cubs lineup. At least it’s been entertaining.
As much as people say they’ve been struggling to beat bad team and struggled, they are 7-4 on this stretch which is pretty palatable coming off a 7-2 mark against the Braves, Blue Jays and Reds around that Mets series.
Also have series wins over Rangers, Mariners, Orioles, Rays….
Baseball is a 162 game season, not two losses in 13 combined games against the White Sox and Pirates.
Exactly. I will take a couple more .700(14-6) stretches the rest of the season. With 33 games left, that would be 24 more wins against 9 losses. 92-70 might get them the top wild card and a home series against the 2nd wild card team. They are way ahead of schedule as far as I’m concerned. I wasn’t expecting them to be serious contenders until 2024 anyway, so this is a pleasant surprise.
Braves and Dodgers will certainly be tough if we meet them in October but with the Cubs’ pitching and hitting, they have a puncher’s chance at making a run.
I would definitely offer Belli a QO in the off-season and try to re-sign him to a long term deal. He has more than proven himself. He can also play 1B and DH if PCA makes the roster next spring. PCA could also spell Seiya or Happ on the corners. That would be a great 4 man OF rotation.
Then trade from our organizational depth in the OF and maybe throw in Mervis and a top pitching prospect and get a stud starting pitcher to be our legitimate ace.
Re-sign Candelario and Gomes and let Amaya take over at catcher full time.
If we cannot trade for a stud starting pitcher in the off-season, I would see if we can work out a deal that involves Mervis and maybe Canario and a pitcher for Pete Alonso. Then, sign Blake Snell in free agency. He’s a lefty and is a proven commodity that has pitched in big games.
I am very excited about the future for the Cubs. Their farm system has been re-tooled and is one of the best in the majors. It’s been a painful few years but I think we are set up for a long term run of playoff seasons as fans. I can’t believe I’m saying this but hats off to Hoyer and staff.
Now, let’s win the series against the Pirates today and sweep the Brew Crew starting Monday. Then, we can really get excited for the stretch run. Go Cubs Go!!!!
As exciting as your post is there are some flaws as I see it. The Cubs should absolutely offer Belli a QO but don’t resign him to a long term deal. How can you say the farm system is loaded in one breath and then say you want to reign everyone? Those are conflicting statements. Candy would be great on a one year deal but he’s not gonna sign one of those. There’s a slim chance Shaw makes it sometime next year to take over 3rd Base. Right now you have Madrigal and maybe Vasquez for 3rd next year. As for Gomes he has a 6 million team option which the Cubs will no doubt pick up. It’s a no brainer. After not seeing Amaya C for 3 years I called for his head but was completely wrong I’m happy to say. As for trading OF’s for starting pitching studs just ask the Cardinals how that’s going? Fact is you can trade 1 stud young P for 3 players but it doesn’t work the other way around. The best way to get a stud P is draft one and grow him through the minors which is now happening. Now is not the time to be buyers. If they need something it would be better to get someone at the deadline where prices are cheaper, Than in December when things are expensive. But hey, Keep the faith brother! I like your enthusiasm.
Hey Uncle. Thanks for your thoughts. I think we agree for the most part. I do think we need an ace starter. Steele has had a great year and in my eyes should be untouchable. If we don’t want to trade for a starting pitcher, we should definitely sign Blake Snell. That would give us a strong starting 5 and if Wicks keeps up what he did last night, watch out! But teams will adjust and he will likely have some rough outings over the next year or so. Heck, even Greg Maddux was 5-14, I think, in his rookie year.
I absolutely LOVED the drafting of Shaw at 3B. I watched Big Ten baseball all season and he is a complete hitter that thrives with RISP. He will be ready sooner than later but I think next year may be a bit early. Candy on a 3 year $42M deal probably gets it done (maybe $50M). That would be a big upgrade for the Cubs over a Madrigal or Vasquez.
After hearing about the Cubs’ interest at the deadline in Pete Alonso, I am certainly on board with trading for him and signing the Polar Bear to an extension. Honestly don’t think Matt Mervis is going to materialize in the majors. He was a mid to late round draftee that had some nice numbers in the minors but I fear he is a AAAA player. Alonso is proven and we have two more wins this year if it weren’t for him.
Trading for Alonso would likely cost us Mervis and Canario (or Brennan Davis), but would be worth it if you ask me.
Canario has been a really exciting prospect to follow but PCA is the better prospect at this point. Alex also strikes out quite a bit. He’s young and could grow out of that but if we can get a solid corner infielder to pair with Candy/Shaw for the next 7 years, I think we are set. Also having an OF rotation of Happ, Bellinger, Suzuki and PCA is about as good as it gets for the foreseeable future.
IF would be Candy/Shaw, Dansby, Nico and
Alonso.
Catcher Amaya/Gomes
Starting rotation Snell/Steele/Taillon/Hendricks/Assad or Wicks
Slide Cade Horton in when and if Kyle Hendricks moves on.
I think Alzolay has locked down the closer role and will thrive there.
Already have a solid bullpen and could get even better when Brown is called up.
I like that we have a very good farm system to add pieces to the roster as they progress.
The future is bright. I think this roster would be legit in 2024 without any Alfonso Soriano-like bad contracts.
Snell throws 100 pitches to get through 5 innings. An ACE to me is a guy who can throw 8 scoreless and give your bullpen a rest. How many of those guys are there? Answer- not many and the ones that there are, Aren’t usually available. Snell is not worthy of what he will sign for and whoever does will surely regret it as much as the Yankees did by signing Rodon.
Stay off the sauce coop. I’m not sure you have been watching the same Cubs season I have. You’re pretty doom and gloom.
I see a team that’s been playing better baseball as the season goes on. And they’re picking up contributions from more younger players as the season wears on. And maybe you don’t follow this team close enough to know they have one of the top minor league systems in baseball. And a number of them are on the doorstep of Wrigley.
The rest of the season should be about developing young talent and seeing which ones fit. That’s what I’ve been preaching all year. Playoffs should be a goal, Not the beat all end all. Advancing talent should be the goal because I doubt they beat the Braves, Dodgers, or Phillies. Can it happen? Sure, But it’s not likely. Wicks just proved what I’ve been saying all along, Going young doesn’t mean losing. It might, But it doesn’t have to.
To add to your thoughts uncle, there really is no difference for the Cubs playoff chances, if they win the division or make them as a wild card. Either way they will be facing a wild card team in the first round.
So evaluating talent should definitely play a major role, over these remaining 30some games.
The only difference Dogbone, is that if they finish in the second or third wild card spot as opposed to passing the Brewers or Phillies is that ALL three potential games are played on the road—-none at Wrigley in that first round.
In baseball that’s probably a little less relevant than football or basketball but a factor nonetheless.
That’s true Mike. But it’ll be a tough assignment for our guys, either way.
If Wicks next game is vs the Reds, that will give a better indication of where he is in his development and what our expectations should be. But that’s why Wicks should be getting to start once a week through the end of September. As should Assad.
Kilian is a complete question mark, and as much as I pull for Wesneski- he scares the heck out of me with his inconsistency. I don’t believe Horton or Brown will be factors until sometime in the second half of 2024.
So while I am in the camp believing Stroman will opt in for 2024, if he doesn’t – then I believe Hendricks will be made some type of offer to return. Oh, Smyly is done. But some other teams will be willing to give him a chance.