PITTSBURGH – With nine games left in the season, it’s still unclear which pitchers will finish the season on the Cubs active roster.
The team hasn’t ruled out Justin Steele (low back strain) returning from the 15-day injured list. Then, there are veteran lefties Wade Miley and Drew Smyly, who are dealing with tightness or fatigue but have not been placed on the IL.
Steele’s bullpen Saturday went well, according to pitching coach Tommy Hottovy.
“Really starting to look back to the guy that we are used to seeing,” Hottovy said. “Big thing for him today is recovering from the bullpen, making sure all that feels good, there’s no lingering issues from what he was dealing with.”
The Cubs plan to give him another high-intensity bullpen before evaluating his next step, which could be a live batting practice session or game action.
“I know timeline-wise we’re getting close here,” Hottovy said. “But our goal with Justin was to finish strong. ‘Finish strong’ can mean a lot of different things. Ideally, we would like to get him in a game. But again, he’s progressing and trending in the right direction, so we’ll have to see how these next couple days progress.”
Smyly was originally targeting Tuesday or Wednesday for his next start, after skipping his last scheduled outing due to left shoulder fatigue. Instead, Marcus Stroman, Hayden Wesneski and Javier Assad are scheduled to pitch in the upcoming three-game Phillies series, in that order.
“I don’t like putting a timeline on something and when we have other options,” Hottovy said.
The Cubs’ off day Monday gave them that other option. Hottovy said he preferred adjusting the plan to the results of Smyly’s bullpen, rather than adjusting the bullpen to a rigid timeline.
“As long as he gets through that OK, probably looking at the ability to pitch in a game next week sometime,” Hottovy said. “The big thing for him is the fine line between where we are in the season – guys can pitch at 95%, but is it worth it?”
Miley, as of Sunday morning, needed further evaluation before determining next steps. He left the game Saturday with a tight left oblique, another injury in a season already cut short by elbow and shoulder injuries.
“The reports I’m getting are, he felt a little bit better than he thought he was going to feel coming out of yesterday,” Hottovy said. “... It’s been an up-and-down, roller-coaster a year for him. But he’s definitely put in the time and effort to want to go out there and compete. So, if he’s feeling good, we want to make sure we do what’s right by him there too.”
Hoerner returns
Nico Hoerner returned to the lineup Sunday against the Pirates, after being sidelined for two weeks by strained triceps. He served as the designated hitter.
Franmil Reyes has been the Cubs’ primary DH since they claimed him off waivers in early August. But with Hoerner still working back to playing the field, Reyes started in right field for the first time in his Cubs tenure.
