Appendectomy lands Downers Grove native Burdi on Cubs' injured list
Downers Grove native Nick Burdi made it back to the big leagues for the first time since 2020 and was set to make his Wrigley Field debut playing for the Cubs, but fate had other ideas.
Burdi was placed on the 15-day injured list after undergoing an appendectomy on Wednesday morning. He was not at the ballpark for Tuesday's game against the Mets.
As a corresponding move, the Cubs promoted pitcher Javier Assad from Iowa.
Burdi made three appearances for the Cubs and became their hardest thrower when he was called up from Triple A. Burdi hit 100.6 miles per hour last Friday in Philadelphia on a pitch to Kyle Schwarber. He allowed a total of 3 runs in his three outings.
Burdi attended Downers Grove South, then Louisville; was a second-round draft pick of the Twins and made his major league debut for the Pirates in 2018. He did pitch at Wrigley Field three times with Pittsburgh.
After having Tommy John surgery, Burdi was sidelined for two years before making his return with the Iowa Cubs this spring. His younger brother Zach has played for the White Sox, Orioles and Rays.
Change at the top:
Cubs manager David Ross broke up the familiar top of the batting order Wednesday, putting Miles Mastrobuoni in the No. 2 spot, between Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson.
"Just breaking up some righties, a little more speed and grind at the top," Ross said before the game. "With (Cody Bellinger) out, I feel like we're a little bit right-handed heavy at the top. Mastro has been impressive with his at-bats and his patience. Figured we'll give that a look."
Ian Happ is third in MLB with 35 walks, but there are no plans to move him up in the batting order.
"I've had multiple conversations with Happ about lineup construction and I think where I've put him, he's really comfortable," Ross said.
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