Arrieta, Wick make progress in injury rehab
Both Jake Arrieta and Rowan Wick threw bullpen sessions with live hitting off the mound at Wrigley Field before Monday's game.
"Jake looked pretty good. He got some really bad swings," manager David Ross said. "His command was a little bit off, I thought, in the first couple. Looked like he locked it in a little bit later, get back over to that glove side. I thought he looked pretty good.
"Ro Wick looked good as well. Breaking ball was sharp. It was just nice to see him. It looks like he's had a chance to build up, the ball was coming out real good. I couldn't tell velocities or any of that stuff, I'm bad at judging that, but the movement on the both guys; pitches looked pretty darn good, I thought."
Ross said Arrieta threw around 75 pitches and will have another bullpen session in a few days. The next step will be determined after that happens.
Arrieta went on the injured list July 7 with right hamstring tightness. In his last two starts, against Philadelphia and Milwaukee, Arrieta didn't complete the second inning.
Then again, he has been competitive at times. On June 25 in Los Angeles, he limited the Dodgers to 2 runs over 5 innings, and he gave up just 1 run over 5 innings at San Diego on June 9. Overall, the 2015 Cy Young Award winner is 5-9 this season with a 6.30 ERA.
Wick hasn't pitched for the Cubs since late last season due to an oblique injury. He made three rehab appearances at Single-A South Bend and fared well, with just 1 hit and 7 strikeouts in three innings. Wick will head to Iowa next and continue his rehab in Triple A.
Wick, 28, could still be an important player for the Cubs' future. He was one of their better relievers in 2019 and '20, and is under club control through 2026.
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