MESA, Ariz. — Veteran infielder Tyler Austin projected to be an important bench piece for the Chicago Cubs this year.
That is now in flux. Austin underwent surgery Tuesday for a patellar tendon debridement in his right knee that will sideline him for months.
Austin, who signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract in December, has a history of knee issues, manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday, and Austin’s right knee didn’t respond well early in camp, requiring surgery. The 34-year-old spent the last six years in Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
“It’s opportunity for others — he had an inside track,” Counsell said of the Cubs bench. “So, it’s an option that’s off the table right now.”
Austin provided backup to Michael Busch at first base, and the Cubs still have other options they could use, though Busch will be getting the everyday playing time. Jonathon Long and Moisés Ballesteros are among the backup choices if needed at first as well as Miguel Amaya, who has some experience there in the minors (36 starts). The Cubs could look to get Matt Shaw some reps at the position during camp, too, in case they need him there. Shaw said Wednesday that he plans to start getting some first-base pregame work in to be prepared.
“You’ve got to go through this exercise in spring training of backup plans on top of backup plans, and you just can’t be covered ideally in every single situation,” Counsell said. “This may change where we are very deep to a place we’re not very deep.
“(Long), whether he’s with the big-league team or whether he’s in Triple A, he’s a day away, if that makes sense. Moisés, the catchers can play there in emergency situations. Basically I think everybody can play there in an emergency situation.”
Jordan Wicks shut down
The left-hander also is sidelined for what the Cubs hope will be only a few more days because of left forearm inflammation.
An MRI showed no concerns about Wicks’ ulnar collateral ligament. The Cubs are still trying to get to the exact source of the pain and discomfort in his forearm, Counsell said, but Wicks’ arm has responded well to rest the last five days.
Photos: Chicago Cubs on photo day at spring training
Counsell anticipates Wicks, 26, will be sidelined in terms of days rather than weeks.
“Hope to have a little more recovery time and then begin throwing shortly,” Counsell said.
Wicks hoped a strong spring performance could earn him a spot on the opening-day roster, even if that meant starting the season as a reliever. The Cubs expect Wicks to be part of their rotation depth, an area they know will be important over the course of the season.
Jameson Taillon honing pitch shape
Taillon’s penultimate Cactus League outing before departing for the World Baseball Classic delivered what the right-hander wanted from the two-inning start — for the most part.
“I’ve got to stop giving up homers,” Taillon wryly noted. “But they weren’t hit crazy hard, so we’re OK.”
The Colorado Rockies’ Mickey Moniak took Taillon deep on the first pitch of Wednesday’s game, and T.J. Rumfield sent a hanging changeup over the fence to open the second in the Cubs’ 14-7 loss.
“I thought the changeup stunk today, and that’s just disappointing because it’s been really good on my side work, so just kind of figuring out where my hand is on that in the game versus where it’s at in the bullpen and how to sync those up,” Taillon said. “Besides that, it was more just about the delivery stuff, like getting into my backside and back foot a little better and holding tension on the mound.
“I actually thought today felt a lot better. Just been working on a lot of stuff on the side, and I thought the velo ticked up a little bit. I thought just the overall feeling of crispness ticked up.”
Taillon has been working to be more consistent with the shape of his cutter. The pitch had been emulating sweeper characteristics when he instead wants his cutter to be tighter and create more velocity separation compared to his sweeper. He was pleased by the three cutters he threw Wednesday, averaging 87.2 mph, up from 85.8 mph last season.
Taillon will have one more Cactus League start on Monday before departing camp to join Team Canada in Puerto Rico for the WBC. Taillon told the Tribune it hasn’t been discussed yet whether he would stay with Canada and keep pitching in the WBC if they advance out of pool play.
Taillon’s maternal grandmother came to Canada as a refugee from Hungary during World War II, and both his parents were raised there. He previously pitched for Canada in the 2013 WBC when Taillon hadn’t even reached Triple A yet.
“I want to do really well, and I want to win and advance and all that, but I’m also trying to do right by the Cubs, like, make sure I’m my best version of myself in the season and later in the season and in October,” Taillon told the Tribune. “So it’s honestly been a pretty standard buildup for me, which I’m really excited about. I’m really grateful the Cubs are working with me on this, and Team Canada is very open to whatever I’m willing to give them.”
