Chicago Cubs Shut Down Reliever After Second Opinion On Injury

The Chicago Cubs will have to do without one of their top relievers from a season ago for at least a few more weeks.

Apr 13, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Adbert Alzolay (73) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning at T-Mobile Park. / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including The Chicago Tribune, on Wednesday that they were shutting down reliever Adbert Alzolay for the next two weeks due to his right flexor strain.

Alzolay recently went to Dr. Keith Meister to get a second opinion on the injury, which put him on the 15-day injured list on May 13. At the time it was considered a right forearm strain.

Meister is one of the foremost elbow surgeons in sports medicine and is the team surgeon for the Texas Rangers.

“And then we'll kind of go from there but it could be longer than that,” Counsell said.

Meister is known for doing Tommy John and internal brace surgeries on pitchers, including Jacob deGrom. Getting a second opinion from him isn’t necessarily a pathway to a surgery.

The fact that Alzolay’s injury is in the flexor tendon and not in the ulnar collateral ligament — the ligament that leads to Tommy John — could be a good sign.

Before he was moved to the injured list the right-hander was 1-4 with a 4.67 ERA in 18 games. He had four saves in nine chances. He also struck out 13 and walked six in 17.1 innings.

Last season he emerged as the team’s top closer, as he went 2-5 with a 2.67 ERA and 22 saves in 25 chances, along with seven holds. He pitched in 58 games, which was the highest workload of his career. He also struck out 67 and walked 13 in 64 innings.

The Cubs have turned to Hector Neris in a closer role this season. The free-agent signee has converted six of his seven save chances. Yency Almonte and Daniel Palencia each have one save.