Cubs Pitching Prospect To Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery

Ranked ninth in Chicago's pipeline, the right-hander has struggled with an elbow injury all year long, an issue that caused the 25-year-old to begin this campaign on the 60-day injured list after getting a non-roster invite to spring training.

The 2022 fifth-round pick has had an impressive start to his career, posting a combined 2.77 ERA across 24 starts at the High-A and Double-A levels in 2023. But it was what he did the following year that put everyone on notice that he could be a future contributor for the Cubs.

Beginning the season at Double-A, he posted a 3.63 ERA across 15 appearances (14 starts) with 65 strikeouts to just 13 walks in 74 1/3 innings pitched. That earned Birdsell a promotion to Triple-A Iowa, the affiliate level where he had an ERA of 4.26 across 12 starts, striking out 69 batters in 61 1/3 innings pitched with 18 walks allowed.

Chicago gave him their Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award for the 2024 season, a huge honor that signaled he could be on his way to making his debut this year. But his elbow issue changed that, and now according to Maddie Lee of The Chicago Sun-Times, he will be out for the remainder of the season.

A further update from Yahoo! Sports revealed that general manager Jared Banner stated that Dr. Keith Meister will do the procedure. That is notable because Meister specializes in UCL reconstruction.

Banner didn't state what the exact procedure for Birdsell is going to be, but it's hard to imagine that it's not something to do with UCL reconstruction if he's getting operated on by Meister, whether that's the Tommy John operation or something less lengthy in terms of recovery like the internal brace.

Either way, this is a huge blow for the Cubs and one of their top prospects. With rosters expanding on Sept. 1, there was some thought that he could get called up for his debut to finish the season, giving this team another arm to use out of the bullpen or for spot starts.

That is not going to happen anymore, but the hope is Birdsell can get back onto the mound in 2026 depending on what surgical procedure he undergoes.