The Cubs joined the rest of baseball's pitching-injury carousel Sunday when Tyler Chatwood's back tightness worsened over night Saturday, forcing the team to put the right-hander on the 10-day injured list with a "mid-back strain."
Chatwood (2-1, 5.40 ERA) had been scratched from Friday's start and pushed back to Monday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.
Chatwood, who was dominant in his first two starts until an Aug. 6 clunker in Kansas City, is the first significant IL loss for the Cubs since starter Jose Quintana showed up for training camp six weeks ago with a cut nerve in his pitching thumb (from a dishwashing injury).
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More than 60 pitchers across MLB have gone on the IL because of non-COVID-19 injures since the season started last month, which is more than twice the number through this point in the season each of the last two years.
The Chatwood move is backdated to Aug. 13, making him eligible to return Sunday against the White Sox.
Meanwhile, the Cubs must find a seventh starter for Monday's nightcap (Kyle Hendricks is scheduled to start the first game). Chatwood's scratch Friday alrteady prompted their first test of the starting pitching depth since Quintana's injury, with Alec Mills moving up a day and Colin Rea taking Mills' spot Saturday.
Quintana was scheduled to throw a four-inning simulated game Sunday as he nears a return from his injury.
Replacing Chatwood on the roster is right-hander Jason Adam, a reliever called up from the Cubs' alternate site in South Bend. Adam, 29, has a 4.83 in 54 big-league appearances over the past two seasons, including 2.91 in 23 for the Blue Jays last year.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Adam, the Cubs designated pitcher Jharel Cotton for assignment.
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Cubs put Tyler Chatwood on 10-day IL with 'mid-back strain' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
