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April 24: CF Cody Bellinger placed on 10-day injured list, CF Pete Crow-Armstrong recalled from Triple-A Iowa
Bellinger told manager Craig Counsell on Wednesday morning that he felt good and believed he "dodged" a serious injury after running into Wrigley Field's brick wall during a 7-2 win over Houston on Tuesday. Follow-up testing showed otherwise.

Bellinger underwent a CT scan on Wednesday and it showed he sustained two fractured ribs in his right side. As such, the veteran outfielder was placed on the IL with no clear timetable for return.

"The doctors are going to talk to Cody today a little more extensively," Counsell said on Wednesday. "He's got to get symptom free and then we'll go from there."

To replace Bellinger on the roster, the Cubs promoted the 22-year-old Crow-Armstrong, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Chicago's top prospect and the No. 15 prospect in baseball. Crow-Armstrong offers plus speed and elite defense and will be mixed and matched by Counsell.

"We're going to play whoever works out best to play that day and makes sense," Counsell said. "Pete's got some other ways to affect a game. And we'll use him however we think makes sense."

April 23: RHP Kyle Hendricks placed on 15-day injured list, RHP Hayden Wesneski recalled from Triple-A Iowa
Prior to their series against the Astros, the Cubs placed the veteran Hendricks on the IL with a lower-back strain. Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that the 34-year-old Hendricks reported that the issue first flared on him prior to his start on Sunday against the Marlins and worsened as the game progressed. The setback comes after Hendricks posted a 12.00 ERA through his first five starts of the season.

"Kyle's got very high expectations of himself," Counsell said. "When we get past this injury, he'll go back to work and he's going to commit to doing everything he can [to get right]. And having an effective Kyle Hendricks is something that's going to make this team better."

Wesneski returns to Chicago after logging four shutout innings for the North Siders in a 5-3 win over the D-backs on Wednesday. The righty will initially be in the bullpen, but also offers the Cubs a rotation depth piece. In three games for Iowa this season, Wesneski has logged a 2.53 ERA with 10 strikeouts against three walks in 10 2/3 innings.

April 23: LHP Drew Smyly placed on 15-day injured list, LHP Luke Little recalled from Triple-A Iowa
Smyly was placed on the IL due to a right hip impingement, which manager Craig Counsell noted has been bothering the veteran lefty for a little more than a week. In nine games this season, Smyly has posted a 4.97 ERA in 12 2/3 innings and has allowed five runs (four earned) in his four most recent appearances prior to landing on the shelf.

A part of the Opening Day bullpen, Little rejoins the Cubs after technically being back with Iowa. The lefty was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, but recalled as the Cubs' 27th man for a doubleheader on Saturday. He has yet to make an appearance with Iowa this year. In eight games for the Cubs, Little has a 2.35 ERA with six strikeouts and six walks in 7 2/3 innings.

April 23: 1B Matt Mervis recalled from Triple-A Iowa, 1B Garrett Cooper designated for assignment
Mervis, who is ranked No. 13 on Pipeline's Top 30 prospects list for the Cubs, returns to the North Siders after a strong start with Triple-A Iowa. In 18 games for the I-Cubs, the lefty-swinging first baseman hit .288/.402/.606 with five homers, six doubles, 13 RBIs and 12 walks. In parts of three seasons at Triple-A, Mervis has not slashed .287/.393/.556 with 42 homers, 45 doubles, 132 RBIs, 105 walks and 128 runs in 179 games.

"He's swinging the bat well," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Mervis, who hit just .167 in a 27-game stint with the Cubs in 2023. "He's a hitter – that's what his trademark is. [He had] a normal kind of first stint in the big leagues, where it didn't go necessarily the way he wanted. I think it's a little different this time."

Cooper, 33, hit .270/.341/.432 with one homer and six RBIs in 12 games for the Cubs, but his playing time going forward looked sporadic now that Patrick Wisdom was off the IL and back as a versus-lefties option for first base. Counsell also noted that the Cubs are set to see a lot of right-handed pitching coming up, making a lefty bat like Mervis a better fit for the lineup/bench.

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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

OF Seiya Suzuki (right oblique strain)
Expected return: Mid-May
Suzuki resumed baseball activities on April 21 and began adding light swinging to his workouts on April 22, per manager Craig Counsell. The manager noted that Suzuki would continue to ramp up his activity through the upcoming road trip (April 26-May 2), and a Minor League rehab assignment could follow soon after that, barring any setbacks.

"Seiya's doing great. We're doing good," Counsell said on April 24. "We should be in a pretty good place once we get through that road trip, in terms of starting to talk about going to play."

On April 14 in Seattle, Suzuki injured his side while running down to first base in his final at-bat, leading to his placement on the 10-day IL on April 15. This is the second oblique injury Suzuki has sustained in as many seasons -- he missed six weeks last season after straining his left oblique. On April 16, Counsell suggested a rough timeline of four weeks for Suzuki to return to action from the latest oblique issue. (Last updated: April 24)

OF Cody Bellinger (two right rib fractures)
Expected return: TBD
Bellinger injured his right side while running into Wrigley Field's brick wall on a catch attempt in the fourth inning of the Cubs' 7-2 win over the Astros on April 23. X-rays that night showed nothing alarming, but a follow-up CT scan on April 24 revealed two fractured ribs on the center fielder's right side.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said there was no established timetable for return for Bellinger, who has to heal and get "symptom free" before mapping out a firm schedule. Through 22 games, Bellinger has hit .226 with five homers, 17 RBIs, 11 walks and a .760 OPS for Chicago. (Last updated: April 24)

RHP Kyle Hendricks (low back strain)
Expected return: TBD
Hendricks noted on April 24 that he first felt his lower back issue flare up in his bullpen session between his last two starts. The issue then worsened throughout his April 21 start against the Marlins. The right-hander worked four innings and logged 56 pitches. Hendricks hopes to resume throwing soon.

The move to the IL (retroactive to April 22) gives the veteran not only a chance to recover, but to work on bouncing back from a rough start to his season. Through five starts, Hendricks went 0-3 with a 12.00 ERA in 21 innings. Hendricks' timetable for return is unclear. (Last updated: April 24)

LHP Drew Smyly (right hip impingement)
Expected return: May
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the 34-year-old Smyly began dealing with the hip issue during the team's April 15-17 series in Arizona, where the lefty appeared in all three games against the D-backs. The issue persisted in Smyly's outing against Miami on April 21, per Counsell. Through nine appearances this season, Smyly has a 4.97 ERA with 11 strikeouts and five walks in 12 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) in his last four appearances (four innings total) prior to landing on the IL (retroactive to April 22). (Last updated: April 23)

LHP Justin Steele (left hamstring strain)
Expected return: May
Steele completed a live BP session on April 21 at Wrigley Field and manager Craig Counsell said everything went well. Steele's next outing will be in an extended-spring-game setting in Arizona on April 26. This latest step follows a build-up over the past two weeks that has included volume on flat ground (April 9), multiple bullpen sessions (April 8 and April 16) and a stop in the Cubs' pitch lab in Arizona (April 16). A Minor League rehab assignment could be coming soon.

On March 30, the Cubs announced that the pitcher had a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring. Steele exited his Opening Day outing against the Rangers on March 28 after 4 2/3 innings due to the injury. While fielding a bunt and flipping the ball to first base, Steele said he "felt something grab" in his leg and he exited after 67 pitches. (Last updated: April 21)

60-DAY IL

RHP Julian Merryweather (rib stress fracture in back)
Expected return: TBD
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said on April 8 that imaging revealed that the 32-year-old Merryweather was dealing with a rib stress fracture in his back. The pitcher will be shut down for four weeks before being re-evaluated, making the timetable for return unclear at this stage. Merryweather was placed on the 15-day IL (retroactive to April 6) prior to Chicago's April 7 game against the Dodgers, and transferred to the 60-day IL on April 17, meaning he’ll be out until at least early June.

Merryweather had a 1.93 ERA with six strikeouts and two walks through four outings (4 2/3 innings) this season. (Last updated: April 17)

RHP Caleb Kilian (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: July
Kilian left his March 5 start against the Royals in the third inning and an MRI exam revealed a strain of the teres major in his throwing shoulder. The 26-year-old pitching prospect -- acquired from the Giants as part of the Kris Bryant trade in 2021 -- is unlikely to return to game action until July, per manager Craig Counsell. The righty had a 1.50 ERA in three Cactus League outings this spring. In '23, Kilian made three appearances for the Cubs and went 8-3 with a 4.56 ERA in 120 1/3 innings for Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs placed him on the 60-day IL on March 28. (Last updated: March 28)

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