Chicago Cubs: Brandon Morrow Reportedly Doesn’t Expect To Be Ready For Start Of The Season

Chicago Cubs reliever Brandon Morrow is slowly but surely recovering from an injury he suffered this spring during a bullpen session. Despite the pitcher saying he feels like he’s getting better, he doesn’t expect to be ready for opening day.

Cubs beat writer Gordon Wittenmyer reported the news about Morrow on Twitter Sunday morning, meaning the former Chicago closer has suffered yet another setback. His entire Cubs career has been beset by a long string of setbacks.

Morrow reportedly relayed that he’s not making predictions for when he will be ready to get back to throwing. Morrow is reportedly feeling a “mild chest strain” around his collar bone. The pitcher’s strength tests on the area are “encouraging,” per Wittenmyer. At the same time, while Morrow is apparently saying that the tests are encouraging, the pitcher is also talking about hoping to get back to throwing in the next few days. This would mean he’s been shut down for about a week.

The Inquisitr previously reported that Morrow had decided to shut down his throwing program due to discomfort in his chest. Some analysts have said the pain being closer to his collar bone could be a sign of an injury that’s more serious than the Cubs — and their reliever — are talking about right now.

Brandon Morrow is entering his third season with the Chicago Cubs, though this time he’s coming in with a Minor League contract. The reliever was originally signed as a free agent after the 2017 season, and was anointed as the team’s closer.

In 2018, when he was healthy, Morrow was everything the team hoped he would be. He posted an earned run average of just 1.47 and saved 22 games. The problem was that he wasn’t healthy for long periods of time in that season.

If 2018 was a bit disappointing for the club, then 2019 may be considered a catastrophe. The presumed closer didn’t manage to throw a pitch during the regular season a year ago. He was then technically a free-agent over the winter, but Chicago decided it was worth it to take a flier on Morrow, seeing if he could come back in 2020 as a healthier pitcher.

Now that spring training has officially kicked off, the pitcher is shutting things down once again. The news that he won’t be ready for the start of the regular season would seem to set aside any plans he had to make the club’s regular roster. While not considered a piece the Chicago Cubs could lean on in 2020, the front office had made it clear in the past that they were hoping Brandon Morrow would be a surprise addition to an upgraded bullpen.