Knee injury lands Chicago Cubs' Strop on disabled list
Pedro Strop hobbled over on crutches to meet with reporters at his locker Thursday.
The news was bad enough, but it could have been worse for the Chicago Cubs' right-handed setup reliever. He suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee, the result of stepping awkwardly Wednesday night while trying to field a slow roller off the bat of the Los Angeles Angels' Yunel Escobar.
Strop could not put weight on the left leg as he left the field, and an MRI Thursday morning revealed the tear.
He will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday morning, and the Cubs say he could be back on a major-league mound in 4-6 weeks.
"I heard a pop, but I wasn't in pain," he said. "There wasn't any sharp pain. I was just trying to walk back to the mound, and I couldn't straighten my leg. That's when I thought I couldn't walk. At the beginning, I never thought it was going to be that bad because I never felt a sharp pain.
"I was thinking, 'Man, I might be out for the season. The knee is such a dangerous injury. When I found out early this morning that I might be able to come back in 4-6 weeks, I was happy to know that."
The injury might have been worse had third baseman Javier Baez not grabbed Strop and prevented him from throwing to first base.
"He was like, 'No, no, no, no. You don't have a chance (to throw out the runner),' " Strop said. "It could have been worse. The doctors said that if I turned to make the throw, it could be worse. I appreciate that Javy kind of hugged me and didn't let me throw the ball."
The Cubs placed Strop on the 15-day disabled list and recalled reliever Justin Grimm from Class AAA Iowa. Grimm, who has spent most of the year with the big club, went to Iowa for a second time this year Monday.
Former closer and now setup man Hector Rondon is battling triceps soreness. He could be back by the weekend.
Grimm, Joe Smith and Mike Montgomery may join Travis Wood and Carl Edwards Jr. in the late-inning mix.
"It will give opportunity to different guys," manager Joe Maddon said. "Particularly Joe Smith is really going to be the guy who is going to be utilized more often because of it. Grimm has his strong points, too, that we can utilize. We're still waiting to find out about Hector.
"It's still a really strong bullpen. We're trying to build to that ninth inning with the lead. We can still do that."
Feeling the difference:
Pitcher Jason Hammel, who started and won Wednesday night, took part in a more rigorous off-season training program. Hammel is 5-0 with a 1.16 ERA since the all-star break. He was asked if he feels stronger.
"Honestly, yes, I do feel stronger lower-half wise, and my delivery is a lot cleaner because of it," he said of the conditioning.