PITTSBURGH – Cubs reliever Michael Fulmer had been dealing with discomfort in his right forearm for a while, and the team had successfully managed his rest accordingly – until recently.
“We just felt like we hit a wall,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said before the Cubs’ games against the Pirates on Saturday. “We needed to kind of give it some time here.”
The Cubs put Fulmer on the 15-day injured list with a strained right forearm, retroactive to Friday. The move cleared a spot on the active roster for the Cubs to call up left-hander Jordan Wicks, who is set to start against the Pirates Saturday in his MLB debut.
The Cubs plan for Fulmer to undergo imaging in the next couple days. But manager David Ross said he hopes that with rest, Fulmer will bounce back by the end of a minimum stint. He compared the plan to lefty starter Justin Steele’s brief IL stint in early June.
“Trying to be cautious,” Ross said, “and something pops up and you want to make sure we’re giving it the right amount of rest and not risking further injury.”
The imaging will likely shed more light on what exactly is causing Fulmer’s fare-ups. Hottovy remembers before the Cubs played the Mets earlier this month, Fulmer’s arm was bothering him enough that the team built in extra rest for him.
He didn’t pitch in the Mets series, which led into the Cubs’ first off day in 16 days. Then, he threw in back-to-back games in Toronto.
“It wasn’t something we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, if we pitch him, we’re in trouble,’” Hottovy said. “It was stuff we were monitoring. It’s no different than what we do with a lot of guys who stuff that comes up. But he’s been grinding for a few weeks.”
He’s also been pitching big innings for the Cubs. As Adbert Alzolay, Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather have claimed back-end bullpen roles, Fulmer has served as a fourth leverage arm.
“The thing we’re gonna miss about Fulm, is just how well he handled coming in with traffic,” manager David Ross said.
Fulmer has stranded 81% of the runners he’s inherited this season, well above league average.
“What he’s done, it’s a testament to the work he’s put in to this point,” Hottovy said. “But now you come back to, ‘Alright, who’s going to step up? Who’s going to have the opportunity coming in some of those same situations and keep us in ballgames?’”
Lefty Drew Smyly joining the bullpen from the rotation helps replace the veteran presence Fulmer usually provides. Rookie Daniel Palencia has gained more trust lately in high-leverage situations. Hayden Wesneski, like Fulmer, matches up well against right-handed hitters.