Quintana will miss start of season after freak injury

The Cubs suffered a bad break to their pitching staff even before the second spring training begins Friday, and it had nothing to do with a positive COVID-19 test.

Starting left-hander José Quintana will be sidelined for the start of the season after suffering a laceration on his left thumb that required five stitches. The injury happened while he was washing dishes at his home in Miami last Saturday.

Quintana underwent microscopic surgery on his left thumb Thursday morning to further determine the extent of his injury. The procedure identified a lacerated digital sensory nerve in his left thumb, which was surgically repaired.

"There's a best-case scenario in which it heals quickly and his thumb feels good and he can resume a pretty rapid ramp up from that point," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said.

Quintana is expected to resume his throwing program in approximately two weeks, after which time a further determination will be made on a timeline for his return.

"There's certainly another scenario in which the nerve takes longer to heal and is going to be significantly delayed. We really can't forecast it. We just have to wait and see and hope for the best," Epstein said.

The injury likely moves Tyler Chatwood, who was battling for the fifth spot, into the rotation with Alec Mills a favorite for the fifth position.

Quintana went 13-9 last year with a 4.68 ERA in 171 innings. Overall he's 33-23 since the Cubs acquired him from the White Sox in 2017.