Chicago Cubs reliever Brandon Morrow absolutely cannot catch a break. It was announced on Saturday morning that Morrow is going to be shut down for another 10 to 14 days due to yet another injury.
Sahadev Sharma reported the brand new injury on Twitter , revealing yet another setback for the former Cubs closer who was hoping to get through a season healthy and able to return to his dominant form.
“Brandon Morrow told me he threw Thursday and his chest felt good. Unfortunately, he was running afterwards and felt something in his calf. Had an MRI yesterday and has a mild tear in his calf (Grade 1 plus) and will be sidelined 10-14 days.”
The injury is the latest in what has been a long string of freak injuries during his career in Chicago. Morrow missed all of 2019 with various aches and pains and was only brought back to the Cubs on a minor league deal.
While this setback is considered “minor,” it still delays any preparation for the season by at least two weeks. There is also the rather obvious problem of Morrow not being able to stay healthy through an entire workout.
To have him tear a calf muscle while running after just coming back from a chest strain is something that would come off as a joke if it was anyone other than Brandon Morrow.
As it is, any chance for a comeback with the Chicago Cubs is now likely going to involve an extended Spring Training and a stint with the minor league club. As The Inquisitr reported earlier this month, Morrow was already aware that he was going to be missing the start of the regular season because of his first injury. Considering he had just started throwing again and will now have to wait until the tear heals, everything gets pushed back that much further.
From the point of view of the Chicago Cubs, the practical investment in Morrow is relatively small so this isn’t that big a setback for the team’s plans. On the other hand, there were some in the front office who hoped the reliever would be able to get through the spring healthy and ready to pitch.
When Morrow is able to play, he’s one of the best pitchers in the game. During the 2018 season, he managed to appear in just over 40 games and had a record 22 saves. He also posted a 1.47 earned run average. If at some point, he’s able to tap into that talent again, his contract would represent a real bargain.
