The Chicago Cubs made it official on Sunday. Left-hander Jordan Wicks was placed on the 15-day injured list after being scratched from his scheduled Sunday start against the Boston Red Sox. The starter is dealing with a left forearm strain.
As a result, the team promoted veteran Richard Lovelady to the roster from Triple-A Iowa. Continuing the constant roster shuffling, Little was assigned to the minors in favor of Daniel Palencia.
Once again, the injury bug is affecting the Cubs' key contributors. The team was already down two starters with Justin Steele and Kyle Hendricks on the shelf, and Wicks' injury made it three. Even the bullpen is missing a major piece in Julian Merryweather.
And that's not even taking into account the injuries to key hitters in the lineup as Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki are both sidelined.
Even with all these injuries, the Cubs own a 17-10 record and are hanging around the top of the NL Central standings. Manager Craig Counsell's presence is certainly making an impact early this season.
With Hayden Wesneski taking the mound in Sunday's series finale against the Boston Red Sox, the Cubs hope to get length from their starter to avoid taxing their bullpen as they weather the storm of injuries.
Saturday's 17-0 beatdown at least provided the team a silver lining of being able to rest bullpen regulars. The newly added arms, Lovelady and Palencia, will look to keep their spots on the roster for as long as possible.
With Justin Steele likely beginning a rehab assignment on Wednesday, there's finally some sense of optimism amid an overall frustrating stretch of Cubs injuries.
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