Chicago Cubs Send Rookie Pitcher Back To IL

The Chicago Cubs have to send their rookie pitcher back to IL after his latest injury.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jordan Wicks (36) leaves the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on April 17, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

Injuries are starting to thin out the Chicago Cubs starting rotation as another starter heads to the injured list.

As Chicago announced their roster moves for the day, it included moving rookie pitcher Jordan Wicks back to the IL for another stint. The corresponding move was to recall Keegan Thompson from Triple-A.

Wicks was activated from from the IL just over a week ago. In his second game back, against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, he suffered an oblique injury which forced him to leave early.

Now, the Cubs are without both the southpaw and Ben Brown for the next couple of weeks at least.

Expectations were high for Wicks after his solid finish to the 2023 campaign, he hasn't been awful but just hasn't been able to stay healthy. He missed all of May and will now miss most of June with two separate injuries.

When healthy, though, he does still flash the skills that made him a highly-anticipated player.

Through 28 innings pitched in 2024 he has a 4.18 ERA and 1.464 WHIP. He's been a bit better than the numbers might suggest, though.

The Arkansas native mostly utilizes a solid fastball and changeup combo on the mound, but has a few breaking balls that he mixes in as well. While he doesn't have the biggest arm, he gets batters to miss at an above average rate.

The 24-year-old has been a bit unlucky as well. Batters have a very high .354 BABIP against him. While they have an xBA of .2444, they are actually hitting .270 against him. His ERA is also a bit higher than his xERA.

Though he hasn't improved much from his rookie season in terms of actual numbers, there are still things to like from his season when he actually pitches.

Thompson has played in nine games so far this season out of the bullpen and has a 4.97 ERA and 1.342 WHIP.

He was a 33rd round selection in the 2016 MLB draft out of Auburn and has had stints in each of the last four seasons, but has spent most of his time in Triple-A over the last two.

Chicago will likely turn back to the struggling Kyle Hendricks in the starting rotation out of necessity rather than feeling that he's ready to return to that role. If the need to go to the trade block for another pitcher wasn't already clear enough, the process may need to be moved to the front of their priority list.