DENVER – The Cubs put closer Adbert Alzolay on the 15-day IL Monday with what they called a strained right forearm, a major blow to the bullpen down the stretch.
“I can’t get my breaking balls down,” Alzolay said. “So that was the thing that was going to worry me a little bit, that I couldn’t get my breaking balls down. But we’re just going to give it a couple of days and then start throwing again to see how it’s progressing.”
If Alzolay is able to bounce back with just a minimum stint on the IL, he could return in time for the Cubs’ penultimate series of the regular season, at Atlanta. The move was retroactive to Sunday.
Veteran right-hander Michael Fulmer, who the Cubs reinstated from the 15-day IL on Monday, was on a similar plan for his strained forearm. And left-handed starter Justin Steele successfully used a short stint on the IL in June to bounce back strong.
“He’s been great for us all year,” Fulmer said of Alzolay. “This is something that he’s never done before.”
This is Alzolay’s first full season pitching out of the bullpen, let alone in such a high leverage role.
Alzolay said his forearm has been bugging him for “at least a couple weeks.” The Cubs tried to manage the injury without resorting to an IL move.
“Sometimes four or five, six [days off are] better than 15,” manager David Ross said. “Didn’t seem like we were gonna be able to navigate that this time.”
Alzolay had six days off between outings last week and then came back to pitch in consecutive games this weekend against the Diamondbacks. He put up two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit in each. But he also issued two walks on Saturday.
“The first game that I pitched, on Friday, it didn’t feel that bad,” he said. “But then going back-to-back the next day, that was when I started feeling it with my sinker and then with the breaking ball as well.”
Alzolay said he expects to undergo imaging sometime during this road trip.
“It’s hard to compete with the role he’s in and 75%,” Ross said. “So making sure he’s healthy and able to compete at the highest level is a real priority for him and us, and protecting him in that way.”