The Chicago Cubs come back from the All-Star break just one game ahead of the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division and with some roster holes they’d like to fill before the July 31 trade deadline.
Chief among those roster holes is in the pitching department, where the starting rotation has been battered and strained due to injury and the bullpen could be fortified by the addition of at least one more impact arm.
But could the answer to at least some of the team’s needs come from within, in the form of assets returning from injury?
Chicago Cubs GM updates injury status of four key players
In a recent appearance on 670 The Score, Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins talked about the injury status of three key pitching assets– Javier Assad, Jameson Taillon, and Porter Hodge– as well as the status of catcher Miguel Amaya and a possible time frame for the return of all four.
Hodge, who went down with shoulder issues on July 9, may be ready for a return before everyone. He’s due to have a bullpen session tomorrow. Injuries have hampered the 24-year-old reliever’s 2025, which was expected to be big one after a stellar second half of 2024.
Per Hawkins, Assad and Amaya may be the next to return, with mid-August being a reasonable target date.
The 27-year-old Assad, who has missed all season with an oblique injury, is set to have his first rehab game next Thursday. Originally projected to be the fifth starter in the Cubs’ rotation, a return to anything resembling peak form will help the rotation tremendously during the upcoming dog days of summer.
The 26-year-old Amaya, who also went down with oblique issues, would be a welcomed return, both offensively and defensively, despite some quality fill-in work in his absence by Reese McGuire. He is currently taking live at bats and should probably get back into the mix before Assad.
“I think we’re looking at August for both of those guys,” Hawkins said of Assad and Amaya. “It would be really, really nice to have them back. Our catching group has done great since Miggy has been out, obviously Reese McGuire has been outstanding in terms of his ability to be our second catcher and Carson [Kelly] has had just a heck of a year.
“Obviously, the more starting pitching you can have, the better. And certainly, a guy like Javi that’s done it before and pitched in multiple roles will be great to have. We will get those guys back in rehab games soon and hopefully have them here in August.”
Bad news on Taillon?
The news on Taillon, however, seems to be less cheery.
The 33-year-old veteran, who played a huge role in eating innings in the middle of the Cubs rotation, suffered a right calf strain in early July and may be out of commission until September. He’s slated to begin throwing off a mound by the end of the next road trip.
Hoping on the returns
If Assad and Taillon can make successful comebacks from injury, the debate over acquiring a second starting pitcher for a pennant run at the trade deadline may be null and void. However, it’s a big gamble to fully count on the return of either and it would be wise to pursue additional starting pitching depth anyway.
Having Amaya back would represent an upgrade over McGuire in all areas and it would be a helpful addition for the Cubs down the stretch.
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