Roberts Rehab Update, Report Indicates Suzuki to Play in WBC, and Other Cubs Bullets

The ole laptop crashed in the center of drafting those Bullets, so right here’s hoping there aren’t any bizarre putting cliffs that were given eaten in the repair procedure. I don’t in an instant see any, however hiya, forgive me if that is so …

• Absolutely love to see this from Cubs reliever Ethan Roberts, whose excessive paintings ethic on his method up the ladder strongly steered he used to be a dude who would overwhelm the rehab procedure:

• Roberts, a 2021 breakout tale, made the Opening Day roster along with his ridiculous slicing fastball and sweeping slider, however used to be bitten via well being problems nearly in an instant. Then, as he used to be completing up his rehab stint at Iowa, the scary elbow pop. So it used to be Tommy John surgical treatment for the 25-year-old, who most likely is probably not again till the second one part subsequent 12 months on the earliest (even with a rehab being forward of time table). Still numerous explanation why to hope at the upside when he returns.

• That leaves the Cubs in a clumsy spot from an offseason roster standpoint: you clearly need to stay him in the group, and as quickly because the common season approaches, you’ll transfer him to the 60-day IL and he gained’t absorb a 40-man spot. But *till* the top of Spring Training, he can be taking on that 40-man spot, at a time when issues are awfully crunched. Gut says the Cubs are going to take a look at to simply retain him (ditto Brad Wieck, who may be rehabbing from TJS) so long as conceivable, so they are able to then 60-day him on the finish of Spring Training. If they know needless to say they’re going to want the 40-man spot to give protection to a prospect, even though, then they will have to take a look at to non-tender Roberts and in an instant signal him to an above-market minor league deal, with an working out that he’ll be decided on again to the 40-man roster once he’s just right to cross.

• According to a file out of Japan, Seiya Suzuki goes to play in the World Baseball Classic for Japan this coming spring (h/t IFG):

• Use Google Translate with warning, however I imagine the item is suggesting that, even though the Cubs need to ensure Suzuki is in the most efficient conceivable position to have an ideal 2023 season, they’re going to beef up him if he desires to play in the WBC. The major piece of it takes position over two weeks in the center of Spring Training.

• To that finish, when he used to be requested at his season-ending presser about Suzuki’s debut season, Jed Hoyer used to be clearly very complimentary and all that things you’d be expecting. But the only bit that he were given into that used to be a little bit extra forward-looking used to be the concept that, in addition to the pitcher and way of life changes to enjoying in MLB, there may be a distinct bodily grind. The weeks are scheduled otherwise than in Japan. The trip may be very other. The day-to-day necessities are other. That isn’t to say higher or worse, simply other. And so there’s a bodily adjustment that you’ve to make, and you’ll’t truly know the way to absolute best PREPARE for it in the offseason till you’ve skilled it (and Suzuki additionally had the ding of now not being ready to signal early in an offseason as a result of the lockout). All causes to suppose there’s a possibility he may just come into 2023 even higher ready to prevail out of the gate, and for a complete 162.

• Nick Castellanos made an implausible catch in the ninth the day past – if it will get via him, that factor is a triple a minimum of – and it used to be humorous when set in opposition to his defensive metrics:

• Well that is simply wild, however possibly too simply predicted: