Chicago Cubs Concerned About Ace's Latest Setback

The Chicago Cubs ace, Marcus Stroman, was schedule to make his return to the starting rotation Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox.

After dropping the first game in a crucial series against their cross town rivals, getting their ace back on the mound for a big matchup would have been a welcome sight for the pitching staff.

Instead, Stroman suffered a setback and won't be making his return on Wednesday.

He originally went on the injured list August 1st with right hip inflammation after he heavily struggled during the month of July. It was thought it would be a minor recovery and used more as a resting period than anything too serious.

With a new ailment, the Cubs are starting to become concerned.

"Hopefully, this Stro thing is not crazy serious and he’s just pushed back," manager David Ross said when talking about the situation.

If the right hander will miss an extended period of time, that puts a ton of pressure on the bullpen that has been relied heavily on this season. Chicago already moved starter Drew Smyly to the bullpen to give them more options going forward.

"We got to keep pitching well. It depends on if (Stroman’s) out longer or it’s just pushed back a couple days. Concern? We got to wait and see. I don’t get too worked up about it. It’s just part of it," Ross told MLB.com.

He can say all the right things, but the reality is if Stroman is out for a long period of time, the Cubs will lean on a starting rotation that has been average besides NL Cy Young contender Justin Steele, a rookie pitcher and an overworked bullpen.

"Everybody’s got to step up,” Ross said. “That’s the sign of a good team."

They'll definitely need to step up if their ace is on the shelf for longer than expected.

Updated Story

Marcus Stroman has been diagnosed with a right rib cartilage fracture.

There is no timeline for his return.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 16, 2023

Meghan Montemurro is a beat writer for The Chicago Tribune reporting about the injury that caused Stroman's setback ahead of his scheduled return to the mound.