Injuries are piling up for the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs put second baseman Nick Madrigal (lower back tightness) and outfielder Michael Hermosillo (left quadriceps strain) on the 10-day injured list before Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres, and Seiya Suzuki (right ankle soreness) was scratched from the lineup about 75 minutes before first pitch.
Left-hander Wade Miley was activated from the IL to start Tuesday’s game in his Cubs debut, and infielder Ildemaro Vargas was selected from Triple-A Iowa. Right-hander Adrian Sampson, optioned Monday and still in San Diego on the taxi squad, was designated for assignment.
The Cubs now have 12 players on the IL.
Madrigal experienced tightness during Monday’s 6-0 win and didn’t bounce back well Tuesday, prompting the move. His time on the IL also could provide a mental break amid his struggles through the first month of the season. Madrigal has a .203 average, .250 on-base percentage and 43 OPS+ in 23 games.
Hermosillo’s injury will require more than the minimum stint. He isn’t expected to resume baseball activities for a few weeks.
The quadriceps issue popped up a couple of days ago, but it initially didn’t bother him too much and he tried to play through it. However, the four-hour flight to San Diego on Sunday night caused swelling in the area, which prompted Hermosillo to get examined. It turned out to be a more serious injury than the Cubs thought.
The injury is part of a tough start to the season for the 27-year-old Hermosillo. He is 2-for-28 (.071) with a .257 on-base percentage in 17 games, including nine starts.
“It’s part of this game, trying to get out there consistently, find your rhythm in the at-bats,” manager David Ross said. “The good thing about this is, if we want to take a positive from a negative situation, just to reset mentally, get healthy, go back, get your timing in your rehab assignment — that usually kind of catapults guys forward a little bit — (and) get back up here ready to contribute.”
Suzuki was initially in Tuesday’s lineup as the designated hitter after coming out of Monday’s game, but he was scratched because of lingering soreness. He was available off the bench.
Suzuki left in the sixth inning Monday after awkwardly hitting first base when running out a double-play ball in the fifth. Yan Gomes replaced him as the DH on Tuesday.
Suzuki tested his ankle with agility drills in the outfield 4½ hours before Tuesday’s game under the watch of Cubs training staff. Ross felt comfortable playing him if he felt OK. Suzuki participated in batting practice and went through his normal routine, but his ankle apparently did not respond well to the activity.
“He’s starting to feel really good at the plate, feels good with his swing and just wants to continue that timing,” Ross said before Suzuki was removed from the lineup. “And we’ve got an off day coming up in two days (on Thursday), so that also factored in. And as long as he felt good, I was going to play him.”
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