Delay almost over, Márquez expected to join Double-A originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Cubs top prospect Brailyn Márquez is expected to join Double-A Tennessee after a delay to start the season, NBC Sports Chicago confirmed.
Márquez is healthy and on target to report in a couple weeks, according to a source, roughly three weeks into the minor league season. The left-hander is building up to starter’s innings in Arizona, after serving as reliever at the Cubs alternate site last season and making his MLB debut in the Cubs’ 2020 regular series finale against the White Sox.
Up until that point, Single-A was the highest level Márquez had played. Though the rookie had control issues in his MLB debut, he also showed off the power arm that’s landed him atop the Cubs’ prospect rankings. His fastball averaged 98 mph.
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MLB.com’s Jim Callis was first to report that Márquez was likely headed to Double-A.
This spring, Márquez joined camp behind schedule and began a throwing program. Cubs manager David Ross said then that COVID-19 protocols played a part in Marquez’s delay.
On Friday, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reported that Márquez dealt with COVID-19 before camp.
The Cubs did closely monitor any minor league players with COVID-19 antibodies, putting in place a specific ramp-up process. Medical experts are still working to fully understand the long-term effects of COVID-19, hence the added caution. There have been cases of serious conditions such as post-COVID-19 myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle.
Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez missed all of last season after testing positive for COVID-19 and then being diagnosed with myocarditis.
