Cubs reliever Brandon Morrow received an injection of “synthetic lubricant” earlier this week in the latest bid to get him back to health, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times was among those to cover on Twitter. He’ll be shut down for at least two weeks before he can resume throwing.
Morrow had been shut down recently after experiencing a setback in his rehab effort. He underwent elbow surgery last November after problems in and around the joint cost him the latter half of the 2018 season.
The news of the injection provides another rough timeline, though it’s tough at this point to assume things will go according to plan. As Wittenmyer notes, the best-case-scenario now is probably that Morrow makes it back to the MLB mound some time in July — about a year after he went on the shelf with an issue that was then expected only to cost him a few weeks.
A fully functioning version of the 34-year-old Morrow would make for a heck of a mid-season addition. The Cubs have hit their stride of late but still face a season-long battle in a tough division. With payroll constraints and a farm system that has already been mined rather heavily for promotions and trade chips in recent years, the oft-injured Morrow may yet be the organization’s best hope for a boost in the bullpen.
Unless and until he’s fully up to speed, the Cubs will likely continue to rely upon Pedro Strop as the primary closer. Steve Cishek, Brad Brach, and Brandon Kintzler also have substantial late-inning experience in the majors.
Kayrall
Synthetic lubricant? Like KY?
Polymath
The Cubs are doing way better than expected; the Brewers way better than expected; the Cardinals way worse than expected. And yet, the Cards are in first. Weird. If the Cubs trade Baez and Bryant, they have a chance next year. Or they can go for 120 years. WooHoo. Cubs, do it. You deserve it.
Rowten
huh?
classicmixup
Oops!! Look again!! Cubs back in first!!
HubcapDiamondStarHalo
Jeez… sounds like they shot him up with STP…
scarfish
Ha, Reading these two comments back to back makes me wanna listen to the song ‘sex type thing’
RunDMC
Couldn’t pass it up when they offered free tire rotation.
HubcapDiamondStarHalo
Ah, so THAT’S what they meant by “moving him into the rotation!”
nymetsking
He’ll be good for another 3,000 miles!
Fred K. Burke
Pay the extra 25 bucks or so and go with full synthetic. That’s good for 5000 miles .
kingofmacomb
WD40 – works on everything!
dray16
that and duct tape is all you ever need
ElMagoN9ne
Robitussin is all he needs. Only non millenials will get that. Chris Rock reference
stedmanslick
Lol StuPiD mIlLeNiAls. Milennials know who Chris Rock is bud.
johnrealtime
Yeah peeps really confuse millenials with generation Z. If you were born in the early 80s until around 2000 then you’re a millenial. Early millenials probably are more familiar with chris rock than any other generation
gregstruth89
That’s hilarious
dray16
oh your broke your leg, let me get the tussin, pour it in there, let the tussin seep down to the bone
ElMagoN9ne
Millennials are 21 and younger though. Doesn’t matter you got my point
ElMagoN9ne
Mid 90s to 2004 or 05 are millennials after that its gen z 2006 til now. Give or take
books
Actually the term refers to people who came of age around the millenium, not to people born around it. Those are called gen Z.
Gen X is basically the kids of “that 70s show” on the early side and the characters in “saved by the bell” and “fresh prince” at the end— people born in the sixties and seventies, or around Reagan’s first election.
Millennials are people who were born in the 80s or 90s, went through high school around the year 2000, or at the extreme maybe are finishing it now, if you use a very broad definition of the term.
Then Z is what’s after that. Some would use it for today’s high school and college kids, others for people a bit younger than that. Obviously it’s all imprecise, especially as it’s happening. Wikipedia seems to imply that mid-90s birth dates, like 95 or 96, are very common ways of designating the end of millennial births and the beginning of z.
So in Cubs terms, older millennials like me remember Ryno and Hawk and Sut and Maddux in his first Cubs tenure, but many would only remember Sammy and Gracie and Kerry Wood. And older gen z kids could remember them too, or at least the Lou Piniellla years, but have basically come of age with the Epstein era.
ChiSoxCity
If you were born in the late 60s to early 80s, you’re Gen-x. Late 80s to early 2000s is Gen-z/Millenials (interchangeble terms). Gen-y is anyone born late 2000s to early 2020s.
Senioreditor
Just spray some Windex on it.
layventsky
YES. This reference is the winner.
ElMagoN9ne
The Cubs need to cut their losses now and buy out his contract now. Signing him is top 5 of the worst in Cubs history. Probably 2 or 3 next to milton Bradley,.Jeremy burnitz or even giving Derek lee an extension after one good year..
paindonthurt
He was good when healthy. He has not been healthy enough. It was a two year deal. The Cubs took a gamble he would be healthy and he still may be before they year is out.
ReverieDays
They got half a year of excellence out of a 2 year deal so far. There are WAY more examples of dud deals than this. Not to mention, there is still a chance he can be productive for another half a year.
Heck, Duensing’s 2 year deal is more of a misstep than this one.
Yankeepride88
Buying out his contract does nothing. All of that money is guaranteed and it’s still going to affect their luxury tax. He’s also on 60 day DL so he doesn’t even take a 40 man spot. Releasing him does literally nothing
cuban1
What? Giving Derrek Lee an extension after his 1 good year? The best YEARS of his career came in a Cubs uniform.
ElMagoN9ne
DLee was average at best after his first year as a cub.
kenleyfornia2
This isnt NBA. Buyout does nothing. You still have to pay him everything. And no a 2 year contract cant be a top 5 worst no matter how bad he is. Morrow at least can be decent when out there. Darvish and Heyward are 2 worse contracts just on the current team alone
Vedder80
How has Heyward not made the list of bad contracts?
dray16
because he’s good
jorge78
I wonder if it was Mobil 1?
flippinbats79
Morrow is type 1 diabetic so every injury takes much longer to heal. My wife is a diabetic athlete and has the same issues. I’m happy he’s been able to prolong his career in the bullpen.
Cubbie991
30 weight synthetic
cubfanforever
The sun won’t come out for Morrow,
bet your bottom dollar that for Morrow,
he is done.
Just thinking about B. Morrow
and the sorrow that for Morrow, fun is done.
No Morrow, No Morrow
Morrow in sick bay,
The Cubs just a Kimbrel away.
cubby99
Swing and a miss. Thanks for playing.
jbigz12
Yeah that sucked. Let’s not whip that one out again
nymetsking
That’s what she said.
chicagofan1978
Looks at camera with stupid grin
frankf
The pen has been holding its own lately, but you can only go so long without a proper closer. Just call Kimbrel.
$crewBaLL
WD40 & Some Gorilla tape will fix him
86mets
Did they use standard or high mileage synthetic? For the Cubs’ sake it’d better be the high mileage. Will he pass a drug screen with that synthetic stuff though???? LOL
scarfish
Since he’s a relief pitcher, maybe they used pennzoil