MESA, Ariz. — Cubs corner infielder Patrick Wisdom’s right quadriceps just didn’t feel right while he was running. He pushed through the discomfort for several days last week, playing hard on the field, then spending extra time in the training room trying to get it loosened up.
“It was still just hanging on,” he said.
So it was time to give rest a try. Last Thursday, the Cubs scratched Wisdom from the lineup. He hasn’t appeared in a game since, with his timeline up in the air.
He had targeted the Cubs’ game Tuesday against the Royals to return to playing, but the quad, while better, “just wasn’t where we hoped it would be” when he tested it running, and Wisdom told manager Craig Counsell he could give only about 75%. Counsell saw no need to push it so early in the calendar, and Wisdom instead hit in a scrimmage on a back field at the Cubs’ spring-training complex Tuesday.
He had five at-bats — three against left-hander Drew Smyly and one each against right-handed relievers Julian Merryweather and Mark Leiter Jr. — and went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBI. He didn’t run out any of those hits.
Wisdom said running comfortably is the next hurdle. Then, game action should follow. He had played in three games before his injury, going 1-for-8 with a double.
Smyly in testing mode
With prospect Caleb Kilian making the start in the night game on the road in Surprise, Ariz., Smyly threw three innings in the simulated game, surrendering two runs, both driven in by Wisdom. He allowed three hits and recorded six strikeouts.
Smyly added a splitter and a slider this offseason and has been trying to work both in this spring. Wisdom said his split change looked “really good.”
“It’s hard to hit when someone’s working on new pitches,” Wisdom said, “because you’re like, ‘Is he gonna throw it? Is he not gonna throw it?’ ”
Merryweather and Leiter pitched their respective innings between Smyly’s. Merryweather walked the first batter he faced, then gave up an RBI double to Wisdom with one out. He got out without any more damage.
Leiter gave up back-to-back singles to open his inning, then retired the next three batters in order, striking out two and inducing Wisdom to fly out.
Royals 4, Cubs 0
The Cubs pulled pitching prospect Caleb Kilian one batter into the third inning after a visit with a trainer. The team did not immediately announce his apparent injury. Kilian was making his third appearance and first start of spring training.
• The Cubs (5-6-1) rolled out a young lineup against the Royals on Tuesday. Because it was a night game that required about an hourlong commute from the Cubs’ complex in Mesa, most veterans didn’t play. Prospects including Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alexander Canario, Kevin Alcantara, Matt Shaw and Luis Vazquez were in the starting lineup.
• In the midst of a sloppy defensive game, Shaw turned heads with a play to end the fifth inning. He snagged a chopper up the third-base line and made a running throw across the diamond for the third out.
• On deck: Angels at Cubs, 2:05 p.m. Wednesday, Mesa, Marquee, Reid Detmers vs. Justin Steele.
