Marcus Stroman doesn't know how he contracted a cartilage fracture in his ribs. He said after a bullpen session, he cooled down and noticed difficulty in his breathing.
"It's kind of hard to breathe, kinda in my diaphragm and rib area," Stroman told the media on Friday.
He went to the trainers, telling them he felt like his "diaphragm was behind his rib cage." He then went to the emergency room for three hours to try and figure out his pain.
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Doctors ruled out the pain having anything to do with his appendix and gall bladder. The next day, he underwent an MRI that showed a cartilage fracture in his ribs.
As far as a timetable for his recovery goes, nobody knows. Not even the doctors, according to Stroman.
"They don't know if it's gonna be three weeks, four weeks, five weeks, six weeks. No one knows the exact timeframe," Stroman said. "It's good to know I'm gonna make a full recovery no matter what."
The only thing the All-Star pitcher can do is let his ailment heal on its own. He can't be too active. Stroman mentioned he has trouble breathing, sleeping, turning his body and sitting for long periods.
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Though, he's confident in his return. Whenever an injury arose over the course of his career, Stroman proclaims he has excelled through the allotted recovery time. He anticipates doing the same with his current state, even if the matter and recovery are more nebulous.
Stroman hasn't figured out a detailed recovery plan, or where he plans to spend the most time while sidelined. But he mentioned he doesn't want to take the focus off the Cubs and their present hot streak as they make a push for the playoffs.
As it stands, the Cubs are 2.5 games back on the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central division standings. They're 0.5 games out of the final wild-card spot in the national league, too.