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The Chicago Cubs are ready to go on a stretch, and good for them, they'll have some reinforcements after Michael Soroka's latest injury. Those reinforcements are Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon, who are returning from injuries soon and are making rehab starts in Triple-A, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.
“Right-hander Assad, out all year with a left oblique injury he reaggravated around late April, made his third rehab start on Wednesday, looking sharp while pitching into the fifth inning,” Gonzalez wrote. “His next step could be joining the rotation.
“Taillon is right behind him. The 33-year-old right-hander has been dealing with a right calf strain for a little more than a month but pitched three innings in a Triple-A rehab start on Sunday. He gave up seven runs, but he also came out of it feeling healthy. That's all that matters at this point. Cubs starters not named Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga have combined for a 4.63 ERA this season. And at this point, there is no outside help coming.”
With those two players trying to make their return soon, it should soften the blow of losing Soroka, whom the Cubs acquired before the trade deadline. He made his debut earlier in the week, but is now on the injured list with right shoulder discomfort.
The plan was to shut Soroka down for seven to 10 days, and the hope is that he can return sooner rather than later. For what the Cubs are missing without him, there is some optimism that the returns of Assad and Taillon can make up for it.
The Cubs are currently 66-48 and are in second place in the NL Central, as they're battling with the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the division. They're now four games behind them, and these next couple of weeks will be important if they don't want to falter.
