Spring training is underway for the Chicago Cubs, and so far the Cubbies sit at 2-0 in the Cactus League after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers twice. In those two games, the Cubs had an offense explosion, scoring a combined 19 runs to the Dodgers 7.
Even though the Dodgers didn’t throw out their best lineup, winning those two games against the reigning World Series Champs should give the Cubs confidence when they play them again in Tokyo for the Tokyo Series on March 18.
As games roll on, a few notable players for the Cubs have been sidelined with injuries, but have received updates on when they could be back in action.
The Chicago Cubs get updates on three key players
The Cubs came into camp with a few notable injuries to two of their prospects and one of their pitchers. Matt Shaw is working his way back from an oblique strain and has had limited baseball activities. The 23-year-old, per MLB.com, has resumed hitting in the cage, as well as resuming throwing and fielding work. According to Counsell, Shaw can resume on-field workouts next week and is currently listed as day-to-day
Owen Caissie, another top prospect of the Cubs, is more of a concerning case after suffering a left groin strain. It was also reported that Caissie had offseason core muscle surgery, which could’ve contributed to this injury. The Cubs have Caissie shut down from all baseball activities and will be very cautious with him, given the surgery.
Owen Caissie is dealing with a groin strain and is not participating in baseball activities, Craig Counsell announced. pic.twitter.com/VWKDlYhwNQ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 22, 2025
Caissie is expected to return sometime in late March or early April, but expect the latter. The 22-year-old Canadian will likely start his year in Triple-A again, given the slow track the Cubs are taking with him.
Another Cubs player dealing with an injury is right-handed pitcher Javier Assad, who like Shaw, is dealing with an oblique strain. Counsell said in an interview with the media that he doesn’t expect the injury to sideline Assad “long-term” but MLB.com has his time of return as “early 2025”, which could mean anything.
The 27-year-old is competing for a spot in the Cubs rotation, and if he’s to miss most of spring training, he will have a hard time winning the job. The native of Mexico is competing with the likes of Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and a few non-roster invitees like Brad Keller, for the fifth and sixth spots in the rotation.
A couple of other injury notes
Nico Hoerner is slowly working his way back after having surgery this offseason to repair a right flexor tendon. Hoerner is listed to return sometime in early 2025, and could potentially miss Opening Day. He is currently undergoing a throwing program and has hit in the cage but has not appeared in either of the Cubs games so far.
The Cubs also received news that top prospect and non-roster invite Brett Bateman will have right hamate surgery, per Counsell, and does not have an ETA for a return. Bateman is a speedy centerfielder out of the University of Minnesota and would have been exciting to see this spring with having the potential to be a future Gold Glover in the outfield.
A mixed bag for the Cubs
This injury news is a mixed bag for the Cubs, sounding more negative instead of a positive update.
The most important piece of news here, is Shaw being able to get back on the field and seeing live pitching. The Cubs expect Shaw to perform this spring and hopefully be their starting third baseman when they travel the 5,795 miles from Mesa, Arizona to Tokyo, Japan, to open their season.
Thankfully, none of these injuries are that serious and will require a long-term stint on the injured list, so the Cubs should get most of their core players back sooner rather than later.
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