The Chicago Cubs roster, as currently constructed, leaves little room for injuries this season. While there's talent on the team, there isn't enough for players to be hurt.
If the Cubs want to be the team that the fan base, front office, and players are hoping to be, they need to stay healthy.
Chicago signed Shota Imanaga, a left-handed pitcher from Japan this offseason who has a chance to be an ace-caliber arm in the coming years. It was a great addition, but was also needed to add depth to the rotation, too, since Marcus Stroman departed in free agency.
The expected rotation is Imanaga, Justin Steele, Kyle Hendricks, Jameson Taillon, and Jordan Wicks. Javier Asaad could win that fifth spot over Wicks if he pitches well in Spring Training.
Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune reports that Taillon was scratched from his start on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies, which was supposed to be his first of Spring Training.
Jesse Rogers of ESPN later reported that Taillon had lower back tightness.
With it being Spring Training, it's not the most surprising thing to see a starter scratched, but this is concerning for the Cubs.
They do have other options, and while Taillon isn't an ace, he's better than who they'd replace him with.
Taillon, 32 years old, struggled at times for Chicago last season. He finished with a 4.84 ERA in 154 1/3 innings pitched. He posted a 3.91 ERA in 177 1/3 innings pitched for the New York Yankees in 2022.
Expectations were high for him and he didn't live up to those in his first year with the organization.
Hopefully, this won't cause a similar issue this season.
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