Marcus Stroman is a team player.
According to pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, Stroman is open and willing to take on any role the Cubs need him for. If that means coming out of the bullpen upon his hopefully return, so be it. He wants to help the North Side win in any way he can.
“We’re at the point of the year where I think a lot of guys have thrown their egos aside and want to help the team in any way they can,” Hottovy said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Wednesday. “They understand there’s a lot of different ways to do that. We’re still talking through, when Stro comes back, what the best option is going to be to utilize him.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"He’s been open and willing to say, ‘Hey, I’ll pitch out of the bullpen. I’ll start if you guys want me to. I’ll do both. I’ll work back.’ Those are all the things we’re trying to weigh here. How can we give guys rest? How can we put them in the right chance to be successful? How can we form a team and put a team out there every night that’s going to compete and try to win a ball game?”
The Cubs ace has been out since July 31. First, a hip injury landed him on the injured list. Later, news dropped he suffered a cartilage fracture in his ribs. The doctors didn't give him a timeline, advising him to maximum rest and avoidance of physical activity.
He was inactive for a while, without clearance to perform any physical activity.
Now, he's ramping things up again. According to Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, he threw live batting practice on Monday. Stroman reportedly felt well after the bullpen, pointing to an eventual return to the mound.
Cubs News
Stroman has a 10-8 record on the mound this season backed by a 3.85 ERA. He has 111 strikeouts and 50 walks to go along with it. He earned the second All-Star nod of his career this season.