Cubs reliever Burdi hoping to make quick recovery from appendectomy
Just one day after having an appendectomy, Cubs reliever Nick Burdi was sitting at his locker Thursday like it was a regular pregame.
The Downers Grove native was hoping to make his Wrigley Field debut with the Cubs this week, but the appendix didn't cooperate.
"Just felt sick, went in there, got this taken out, feel 100 times better today," Burdi said. "It's sore now from the actual surgery, but other than that it's been good."
The hard-throwing right-hander made three appearances for the Cubs on the road, topping 100 miles per hour with his fastball twice in Philadelphia. Burdi is now on the 15-day disabled list, after not pitching in 2021 or '22 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
"It seems like it's a pretty easy fix," he said. "They just told me (recovery) varies guy to guy, take it day-by-day and once it starts feeling better, start playing catch and then go from there."
Asked if he was more a fan of the Cubs or White Sox growing up, Burdi chose a third team.
"Honestly, probably the Bears," he said. "I watched baseball, but it wasn't the biggest thing going on. It was always the Bears for me.
"I played football growing up, thought that was going to be the route I was going to go and then my junior year, baseball kind of just took off, so I switched directions."
Burdi played quarterback for Downers Grove South until choosing to focus on baseball as a senior.
Stormin' for Stroman:
Marcus Stroman got excited a few times during Wednesday's victory over the Mets. That's what he normally does, but some unidentified Mets players reportedly weren't happy about it.
"What did we do to him?" one anonymous Met said, according to the New York Post.
"Show some respect. Be a professional. It isn't all about you," another Mets player said, according to the paper.
Stroman is a Long Island native and pitched for the Mets in 2019 and '21. After Wednesday's game, he was asked about the revenge factor.
"Younger me may have seen it as a revenge game, but now I know how to pitch," Stroman said. "I'm pretty locked in. Nothing phases me. I've just found a routine and I know how to feel like it's just me out there and I really don't see or hear much, to be honest with you."
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