The Chicago Cubs received a devastating blow to their starting rotation as news came out that one of their top left-handers, Justin Steele will miss the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Steele not being in the rotation hopefully won’t hurt the Cubs as they navigate the season, but it will test their pitching depth.
The Cubs didn’t do much this offseason to add to their starting rotation, with Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea being the only two names they signed to upgrade the rotation. Both are respectable pitchers, but the Cubs lacked a true top-of-the-line starter to pair with Steele and Shota Imanaga, and they could look to add one at the trade deadline now that Steele is out.
The Cubs seemed to have a decision on who will take Steele’s spot in the rotation, as Rea has filled in there for a couple of starts and has done a good job eating Steele’s innings. However, Rea isn’t a permanent solution in the rotation and is better suited for the bullpen.
More roster moves for the Chicago Cubs
Before the Cubs began their three-game series against the 12-7 Arizona Diamondbacks, they made a couple of roster moves, with Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network, reporting, that the Cubs have sent down left-handed reliever Luke Little to Triple-A Iowa and called up left-hander Jordan Wicks to occupy Steele’s spot.
Wicks will need to show improvement this season
Wicks is getting a great opportunity to establish himself as a future member of the Cubs rotation. Wicks hasn’t had a great start to his Major League career, as he has a 5.02 ERA in 80.2 innings.
Wicks performed okay during his tryout during spring training but failed to make the Cubs Opening Day roster after he traveled with the Cubs to open the season in Japan. The Cubs decided to give young right-hander Ben Brown a chance in the starting rotation after his 2024 season was cut short due to a neck injury, which made Wicks the odd man out.
It was a point of emphasis for Wicks in the offseason to get into better shape to be a more effective pitcher, and he accomplished that by shedding 20lbs before coming into camp.
Wicks has been great in his two starts (three appearances) with the Iowa Cubs, pitching to a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings. This opportunity for Wicks could show why he could be an unsung hero for them. Hopefully, Wicks can translate this success to the big leagues.