Chicago Cubs offer update on injured pitcher ahead of playoff push

The Cubs are still holding out hope that the 28-year-old right-hander can return to play a role in the final games of the season and beyond.

On Friday, Soroka completed a bullpen session at Coors Field in Denver without incident. The plan is now to have him throw live batting practice at Wrigley Field on Tuesday before moving on to a minor league rehab assignment.

“It’s a pretty rough start, obviously, to being a Cub,” Soroka told The Athletic. “It’s not how I planned it out. I’m looking forward to changing some minds and getting out there and being a good decision for this organization.

“Everything that we did worked right away. We got rid of what we needed to. It feels great. There’s a lot of season left. Hopefully, two whole months left.”

Chicago Cubs moving faster than usual with oft-injured pitcher

Manager Craig Counsell told reporters that he plans on being a bit more aggressive than usual when it when it comes to Soroka, who will be eligible for free agency at the end of this season.

“We’re going to probably go a little faster than we’d normally go here,” Counsell said.

The Cubs had picked up the 6-year veteran in exchange for prospects Ronny Cruz and Christian Franklin, despite a recent dip in velocity and a long history of injury. Over the course of his career as a major leaguer, Soroka has had elbow issues, shoulder issues, hamstring issues, and two ACL tears which cost him two full seasons in 2021 and 2022. Earlier this season, he had gone on the IL with a bicep injury.

Soroka’s setback

Back on August 4, Soroka was just two innings into the first start with his new team when he felt the strain of yet another injury.

“There was no reason to believe there was anything wrong,” Soroka told media after that game. “We cleared that. Unfortunately, that changed a little bit in the second inning today.”

“I went to go put a little extra on a fastball and it grabbed me a little bit,” Soroka said of the injury. “It didn’t go away. You feel things here and there through the course of an outing. Usually if you throw another one and it’s gone, it’s nothing. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. So, I decided to say something when I came in after that inning.”

When right (and healthy), Soroka can certainly contribute to the Cubs’ efforts, although he hasn’t really and truly performed at an elite level since his sophomore 2019 season. Still, having another capable swing man on the pitching staff to eat innings and spot start would be a big asset.

The goal, right now, is to get some use of the pitcher that cost them two top 30 prospects, even if it’s just for a couple weeks.