Cubs reliever Brad Wieck returns to camp after treatment for abnormal heartbeat

MESA, Ariz. — Cubs left-handed reliever Brad Wieck is expected to return to camp Friday after undergoing a cardiac ablation in Chicago for an abnormal heartbeat discovered during his routine physical in spring training.

The condition and procedure are not uncommon. Former Cubs infielder Mark DeRosa dealt with the issue in spring training in 2008 after experiencing an accelerated heartbeat during practice. DeRosa returned to spring action soon after the catheter ablation procedure and didn’t miss any time during the season.

The team said Wieck, 28, “will rest and rehab for the next week,” at which point he’ll be evaluated again to determine when he can restart a throwing schedule.

“I don’t know the rehab process exactly,” manager David Ross said. “I’m going to let the docs handle all that. The good news is it seems to be a fairly common procedure, and all signs are pointing to him having a nice healthy recovery.”

Wieck, who had the procedure Monday and returned to Arizona Wednesday, seems unlikely to have enough time to break camp when the team heads north in less than four weeks. That could leave the Cubs with just one left-hander, Kyle Ryan, in the bullpen when the season opens in Milwaukee.

“I’m not going to put any limitations on him or us. I’m going to let it just play out,” Ross said. “I think we’ll have a better view of that maybe about a week in and see how his body reacts. There’s no such thing as a minor surgery, right?”

Wieck was acquired as a rookie from the Padres last July in a trade for Carl Edwards Jr. He gave up four earned runs in 10 innings (3.60 ERA) in 14 appearances for the Cubs, striking out 16.