(670 The Score) Cubs right-hander Adbert Alzolay is expected to open the regular season on the injured list as he deals with tightness in his throwing shoulder, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Monday.
Hoyer didn’t have specifics on the source of Alzolay’s soreness as the Cubs are still evaluating him, but Hoyer doesn’t expect him to be ready when MLB Opening Day arrives on April 7.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a minimum DL stint,” Hoyer said in suggesting Alzolay is expected to be out longer than 10 days.
Alzolay, 27, went 5-13 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 29 appearances, including 21 starts, in 2021, when he logged 125 2/3 innings. He’s in line to fill a slot in the back half of the Cubs’ rotation.
In other injury news, Cubs outfielder Ian Happ had surgery on his right elbow in February in what Hoyer called a “cleanup” procedure of “loose bodies.” The expectation is that Happ will be ready for Opening Day. He hit .226 with 25 homers, 66 RBIs and a .757 OPS in 148 games in 2021.
“He feels really good,” Hoyer said. “He’s hitting. I think it doesn’t bother him hitting at all. His throwing looks good. He’s very confident he’ll be ready by Opening Day, but certainly, he may be not in the field as much as usual at the beginning.”