MESA, Ariz. – Cubs lefty Brad Wieck was gearing up to return to the mound to start the season, after undergoing a heart procedure in the fall, his second in as many years.
Because of a left elbow strain, that return will have to wait.
The Cubs placed Wieck on the 60-day injured list Thursday. He felt discomfort in his throwing arm during a bullpen earlier this week. The move made room on the 40-man roster for the Cubs to make official their one-year deal with free agent right-hander Chris Martin.
“That’s terrible,” Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks said when he heard the news. “I know what he’s been through and the procedures he’s had the last couple years. ... He works so hard, and he loves baseball baseball so much, loves to compete, and he’s had some bad luck, man.”
Before the Major League Baseball lockout ended, Wieck joined several teammates – including Hendricks, Justin Steele, Nico Hoerner and Patrick Wisdom – at Bell Bank Park, where the MLB players association reserved fields and facilities for players to work out.
“I’m feeling really good,” Wieck told the Sun-Times last week after a bullpen session. “After that scare last year, that sucked. … I got incredibly blessed with good doctors, and the big man up top took care of me. So, I’m happy to just be doing this, honestly.”
