Adbert Alzolay's return to the North Side will be temporarily delayed as he recovers from injury.
Friday, the Cubs announced that Alzolay is heading to the 7-day injured list at Triple-A with biceps inflammation.
Alzolay exited his start with Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday after just 3 2/3 innings. While there is no such thing as good injury news, Alzolay seemingly has avoided a major injury. Iowa Cubs manager Marty Pevey described the ailment as "slight biceps soreness" to Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register.
The Cubs will surely be extra cautious with Alzolay, who missed majority of the 2018 season due to a lat strain and the start of the 2019 season with a side injury. With his injury history and Cole Hamels still recovering from an oblique injury, the last thing that the Cubs want is to rush Alzolay back and risk losing him for any extended period of time in the second half.
The Cubs had a chance to call up Alzolay earlier this week, opting instead to promote Alec Mills from Iowa to start Tuesday's game against the Reds. Mills threw six innings of three-run ball, shutting out the Reds after the first inning.
Alzolay has struggled since the Cubs optioned him to Iowa on July 2, failing to pitch five innings in each of his three starts while also struggling with his command.
-July 6: 3 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 5 runs/5 earned runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
-July 12: 4 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs/3 earned runs, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts
-July 17: 3 2/3 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs/5 earned runs, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Be that as it may, Alzolay showed plenty of promise in his short stint with the Cubs before the All-Star break. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut on June 20 against the Mets, allowing just one earned run in four innings in relief. He followed that up with 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball on June 25 against the Braves, his first MLB start. However, he lasted just 2 2/3 innings his next time out, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in a start against the Pirates.
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