Cubs Injury News: Surgery for Heuer, Hughes, and Davis
Today we got three injury updates from the Chicago Cubs, and they’re all surgical in nature, and thus all kinda bad news. So that’s not as fun as today’s game was.
Codi Heuer
First, the Codi Heuer injury was exactly what it looked like: something popping in his elbow. It’s the elbow fracture that sometimes happens at the tail end of Tommy John rehab (it’s rare, but we’ve seen this before at approximately this stage of the process), with the reconstructed ligament involved in the fracture, but itself still healthy. It sucks almost beyond words, and you feel for Heuer.
The bone has been repaired using screws and wires (Sun-Times), but now it’s just a very lengthy period of immobilization while the bone heals. And then it’s the actual rehab process. So you can presume that Heuer will be out for a long time, maybe even well into next season.
Brandon Hughes
Next, it’s reliever Brandon Hughes who did ultimately have to get surgery on the troublesome knee, and his season is over. It’s not hard to see why when you read the description of the procedure in the Tribune:
The procedure involves breaking the leg above the femur bone and then realigning the knee and leg. The bone requires six months to heal before he can begin the rehab phase. The hope is the correction will prevent Hughes from putting pressure on the area of his left knee that is missing the cartilage by making his more bow legged and ease the knee discomfort he experienced.
Incidentally, Michael Fulmer has had the procedure done, so obviously it *can* work.
Hughes, 27, was expected to be a huge part of this year’s bullpen, but just could never stay healthy enough to be effective and stay on the field. Hughes will hopefully be back in time for Spring Training, or some part of it.
Brennen Davis
Lastly, there’s outfield prospect Brennen Davis, who left a game a few weeks ago after an awkward swing, but who has been dealing with contact quality issues all year (after missing most of last season following back surgery). Turns out Davis has now had another surgery – described as “core surgery” – and he’ll be out for six weeks.
From Jed Hoyer, via the Tribune: “The hope is that this explains a little bit of the struggles: that strikeout rate going down, but obviously the ball hasn’t been coming off the bat the way it has in the past. He’s so strong and when he’s been 100%, he’s been really impactful. So the hope is this alleviates whatever’s been bothering him and he comes back and can get back to the athlete that he is.”
I will hope right there alongside Hoyer, but I can’t lie: Davis having to have another surgery this year is deeply concerning (and the situation was already very concerning). If he’s missing only six weeks, it must not have been a MASSIVE surgery, so maybe you can take some comfort there? Maybe he comes back for the final month and a half of the Triple-A season feeling healthy and strong and refreshed. Just gotta hope, hope, hope, because the 23-year-old outfielder was so impressive before the back injury derailed his 2022 season. He was at that time a top 30 prospect in all of baseball for a reason.
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All three guys are going to be open 40-man roster questions when the offseason arrives, but I’ll leave that for another day. It’s too depressing to start thinking about.
Source: bleachernation.com
