Craig Kimbrel last pitched on Sept. 1, an awful outing against the Brewers as he gave up a three-run homer in the ninth inning to Christian Yelich that secured a series loss for the Cubs. Four days later, after not pitching against the Mariners, Kimbrel was placed on the 10-day injured list with an elbow issue.
He was eligible to return Thursday, but a few days ago the Cubs told everyone that wasn’t going to happen.
OK, so maybe Kimbrel just needed a few extra days. Probably has to get in a bullpen session or two before he’s ready to go.
Oh, what’s that? He’s only playing catch?
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And an hour later another update. Kimbrel might not be back until the end of next week.
So, right now the best case scenario is that Kimbrel misses the first six games of the Cubs upcoming home stand and then returns against the Cardinals and the final 10 games of the year.
It might not matter by the time Kimbrel is ready to come back, as the Cubs have blown a five game lead over the Brewers in less than a week and are now tied with them for the second Wild Card spot.
