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July 20: LHP Luke Little likely out for the season with left lat injury
The Cubs are expecting to be without Little -- a hard-throwing lefty who had emerged as a trusted piece to the bullpen -- for the remainder of the season. Little sustained a left shoulder/lat injury that will require rest and recovery. Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the hope is that the reliever will not need surgery.

“I think Luke had gotten to a point where there was a real role for him on this team,” Counsell said. “I think there was development that happened this year and I think he was really trending in a good direction. Unfortunately, that’s probably going to have to stop now and wait until next year.”

Little, 23, landed on the 15-day injured list on July 13 after he left his July 12 outing after four pitches. The lefty had a 3.46 ERA in 30 appearances overall this season, but was on a strong run of late. In his past 20 games, Little had a 1.59 ERA with a .127 opponents’ average and 20 strikeouts in 17 innings.

July 20: RHP Hayden Wesneski (right forearm strain) placed on 15-day injured list; RHP Hunter Bigge recalled from Triple-A Iowa
Prior to Saturday’s game against the D-backs, the Cubs placed Wesneski on the IL and added Bigge to the bullpen. Wesneski was pulled after 1 1/3 innings on Friday against Arizona due to discomfort in his arm and imaging revealed a forearm strain.

“Not overly concerned,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’re hoping he can be back throwing within a week, so good news in terms of that. Hopefully it’s just something minor and we can get him back quickly.”

In 25 games (seven starts) this season, the 26-year-old Wesneski has logged a 3.94 ERA in 61 2/3 innings for the Cubs. Bigge, 26, returns to Chicago after posting a 3.86 ERA in three games in his prior stint in the Majors. In Triple-A, the hard-throwing Bigge had a 0.77 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings.

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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP Keegan Thompson (right rib fracture)
Expected return: TBD
Thompson threw an “up-down” bullpen session on July 20 in Arizona, according to the Cubs. He was placed on the IL on June 28 (retroactive to June 27) after sustaining a rib fracture in his right side. Cubs manager Craig Counsell noted that the injury occurred while Thompson was going through his post-outing shoulder maintenance work on June 26 in San Francisco. Thompson "felt a click" in his ribs and, after he experienced pain while throwing on June 27, the reliever underwent imaging that revealed the fracture.

Thompson, 29, has posted a 3.50 ERA with 26 strikeouts against 10 walks in 18 innings (13 appearances) this season for the Cubs. The timetable for his return is unclear at the moment. (Last updated: July 21)

LHP Luke Little (left shoulder strain)
Expected return: 2025
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said on July 20 that the current expectation is that Little will miss the remainder of the 2024 season due to his left shoulder/lat injury. The lefty landed on the 15-day IL on July 13 -- one day after exiting his outing against the Cardinals after just four pitches.

“I think Luke had gotten to a point where there was a real role for him on this team,” Counsell said on July 20. “I think there was development that happened this year and I think he was really trending in a good direction. Unfortunately, that’s probably going to have to stop now and wait until next year.”

Little posted a 3.46 ERA in 30 games overall this season, but had a 1.59 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 17 innings and a .127 opponents’ average in the 20 appearances prior to the IL stint. (Last updated: July 20)

RHP Hayden Wesneski (right forearm strain)
Expected return: August
Wesneski was pulled after 1 1/3 innings on July 19 against Arizona due to discomfort in his arm and imaging revealed a forearm strain. He was placed on the IL on July 20, but manager Craig Counsell said the Cubs are "not overly concerned." The hope is that Wesneski can resume a throwing program after roughly a week of rest and recovery.

In 25 games (seven starts) this season, the 26-year-old Wesneski has logged a 3.94 ERA in 61 2/3 innings for the Cubs. (Last updated: July 20)

OF Cody Bellinger (fractured left middle finger)
Expected return: Late July/August
Bellinger did some running on July 19 and will begin introducing more activities to his daily program in the coming days, per manager Craig Counsell. The outfielder was hit on the left hand by a pitch on July 10. Imaging revealed a non-displaced fracture of his middle finger, necessitating a move to the 10-day IL on July 11.

“When we come back from the All-Star break," Counsell said on July 11, "he’ll kind of start the range-of-motion rehab with the finger and we’ll see where that takes us. That’s basically where we’re at. It’s going to be some time after the All-Star break. He’s just going to see how it feels and we’re going to have to see how it’s healing.” (Last updated: July 19)

RHP Ben Brown (neck strain)
Expected return: July
Brown was scheduled to throw off a mound in Arizona on July 19, per manager Craig Counsell. He resumed a throwing program on June 18 after follow-up testing on his neck revealed a “benign area of concern,” Counsell noted on June 19. Brown has thrown steadily over the past month with varying degrees of symptoms.

Brown and the ballclub sought multiple opinions on the pitcher’s neck injury, which was initially believed to be a stress reaction. Counsell said that team doctors were “not concerned” after further examining the images taken of Brown. The rookie righty, who is 1-3 this season with a 3.58 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings, was placed on the IL on June 11. (Last updated: July 19)

60-DAY IL

RHP Caleb Kilian (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: July/August
Kilian threw 23 pitches (18 strikes) in a scoreless two-inning appearance with Triple-A Iowa on July 20, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in his latest Minor League rehab outing. He has made three appearances for the I-Cubs since moving his rehab to the affiliate. The righty resumed throwing bullpen sessions at the team’s Arizona complex on June 7, and was built up to facing hitters by June 24 before heading out on his Minor League rehab assignment starting July 2.

Kilian left his March 5 start against the Royals in the third inning before an MRI exam revealed a strain of the teres major in his throwing shoulder. Last season, the 27-year-old pitcher made three appearances for the Cubs and went 8-3 with a 4.56 ERA in 120 1/3 innings with Iowa. He was placed on the 60-day IL on March 28. (Last updated: July 21)

RHP Adbert Alzolay (right flexor strain)
Expected return: Late July/early August
Alzolay struck out each of the three batters he faced in an outing in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League on July 19. He also threw a live bullpen session on July 12 in Arizona, per the Cubs, after logging a 30-pitch bullpen session on July 9 and throwing 30 more pitches in a July 5 mound session. Alzolay has been rehabbing at the team’s Arizona facility since May 26.

Alzolay, whose right flexor strain is similar to an issue the reliever dealt with last September, was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 2. Alzolay was placed on the 15-day IL on May 13 with the injury, which flared during his outing on May 12. In 18 games this season, Alzolay has a 4.67 ERA with 13 strikeouts, six walks and six homers allowed in 17 1/3 innings. (Last updated: July 21)

RHP Julian Merryweather (rib stress fracture)
Expected return: Late July
Merryweather threw 27 pitches (20 strikes) in 1 2/3 innings for Triple-A Iowa on July 19, marking his fourth Minor League rehab appearance. Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the reports on the reliever’s outing were “very good” and the plan for Merryweather remains unchanged for now.

"I think we're getting close with Julian, for sure," Counsell said on July 19. "If all goes well I would anticipate, at the latest, him back by the road trip [beginning July 26]."

Imaging in April revealed that Merryweather was dealing with a rib stress fracture in his back and the righty was placed on the 15-day IL on April 7 (retroactive to April 6). He was transferred to the 60-day IL on April 17. Merryweather has a 1.93 ERA with six strikeouts and two walks through four outings (4 2/3 innings) this season. (Last updated: July 20)

LHP Jordan Wicks (right oblique strain)
Expected return: August
Wicks is currently in Arizona and his recovery process is “going a little slow,” manager Craig Counsell noted on July 11. The lefty is playing catch, but his comeback could linger beyond late July and into August. On July 19, Wicks was transferred to the 60-day IL in a procedural move by the ballclub.

The lefty exited his start against the Cardinals on June 14 after 1 2/3 innings due to the oblique issue. The Cubs placed him on the injured list on June 15 after he underwent further testing, which revealed a Grade 2 strain, according to Counsell. Wicks’ start against St. Louis was his first since April 23 and his second appearance after returning from the 15-day IL on June 7 after dealing with a left forearm strain. (Last updated: July 19)

RHP Yency Almonte (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: 2025
Almonte underwent a successful labral repair surgery, per the Cubs.

The righty had been attempting to come back from the injury for two months after landing on the injured list on May 11, retroactive to May 8, before opting for the surgery.

“I got news that I didn't want to get,” said Almonte, who was acquired from the Dodgers in January. “It's upsetting. I came here with a positive mindset from the trade, ready to go dominate. And I feel like I started off pretty well and just was in a good place mentally.”

Almonte faced hitters in a live batting practice session on June 18 with High-A South Bend and was “not symptom free” during that workout, leading to the second opinion. The pitcher said he is dealing with a minor tear of his labrum. Almonte posted a 3.45 ERA over 17 appearances for Chicago. (Last updated: July 12)

RHP Colten Brewer (fractured left hand)
Expected return: TBD
Brewer, 31, punched a wall in the Cubs’ dugout after his outing against the Angels on July 6 and sustained a fractured left hand. He was placed on the 60-day IL as a result on July 7. The righty has logged a 5.66 ERA in 20 2/3 innings this season, striking out 22 and walking nine. He had a 3.45 ERA in his first 11 outings for the Cubs, but has slumped to the tune of a 12.60 ERA in his past five appearances, culminating in the July 6 setback.

“Colten, after he came out of the game, made a mistake, clearly out of frustration,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said on July 7. “It’s something that he regrets, clearly. It’s something you don’t want to have happen. It’s unfortunate, and now the consequence is you’re going to find yourself with a broken hand and on the injured list for quite a while.” (Last updated: July 7)

7-DAY MINOR LEAGUE INJURED LIST

RHP Cade Horton (right lat strain)
Expected return: July
Horton is in the early stages of a throwing program in Arizona, Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner said on July 10. The 22-year-old Horton (MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Cubs prospect and the No. 17 prospect on the Top 100 list) was diagnosed with a right lat strain on June 4 and was shut down from throwing for roughly a month.

Horton, who was Chicago’s first-round pick (No. 7 overall) in the 2022 Draft, exited his May 29 start for Triple-A Iowa after logging 20 pitches in one inning (two runs allowed) against Louisville. The righty has posted a 7.50 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 11 walks in 18 innings (five starts) for Iowa, following a four-start stint (1.10 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 16 1/3 innings) with Double-A Tennessee to begin the season. (Last updated: July 10)

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