Cubs injuries and roster moves

October 1st, 2023

Stay up to date on the latest Cubs injury news and roster moves throughout the offseason. As a reminder, players on the 60-day injured list will have to be added back to the 40-man roster after the World Series ends.

LATEST NEWS

INJURY UPDATES

INF (left knee contusion)
Expected return: 2024
Hoerner fouled a ball off the inside of his left knee during the last series of the season and missed the final two games. X-rays came back negative for structural damage, however, and it’s anticipated he will have a normal offseason. (Last updated: Oct. 1)

RHP (right forearm strain)
Expected return: 2024
Boxberger returned to the IL in late September after making a comeback from a right forearm strain that initially cost him four months between May and September. The right-hander expects to go through his normal offseason program without limitations. Boxberger has a mutual option for 2024. (Last updated: Oct. 1)

60-day IL

INF (right hamstring strain)
Expected return: 2024
The Cubs transferred Madrigal to the 60-day injured list amid a series of roster moves before the 2023 season finale. He was set up to have a normal offseason after completing baseball activities during the Cubs' road trip over the final week of the season, including running and agility work. The infielder missed the final two weeks of the campaign. (Last updated: Oct. 1)

RHP (right forearm strain)
Expected return: 2024
Fulmer missed the final two weeks of the season with a right forearm strain, an ailment that landed him on the IL twice in two weeks down the stretch. He had a 4.42 ERA in 58 appearances in his first season with the Cubs and is set to become a free agent this offseason. (Last updated: Oct. 1)

RHP (appendectomy)
Expected return: 2024
Burdi underwent an appendectomy on May 24 and was placed on the injured list before being moved to the 60-day IL on June 13. He made three appearances for Chicago prior to the setback. The right-hander finished the season on a rehab assignment in the Minor Leagues. (Last updated: Oct. 1)

LHP (left knee inflammation)
Expected return: 2024
Hughes underwent a surgical debridement on his left knee on June 28. Between multiple IL stints this season, the lefty posted a 7.24 ERA in 17 games for the Cubs. He had a 3.12 ERA in 57 games for the North Siders in 2022. The Cubs transferred Hughes to the 60-day injured list on June 27, and he finished the season on a rehab assignment in the Minor Leagues. (Last updated: Oct. 1)

RHP Ethan Roberts (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return:
2024
Roberts continues to throw bullpen sessions at the Cubs' complex in Arizona. The righty initially returned to mound workouts in late May following rehab from Tommy John surgery (July 13, 2022), and he has worked through some build-up and de-load phases in his comeback program. He appeared in nine games for the Cubs early in 2022 before arm issues derailed his campaign. (Last updated: Oct. 1)

RHP (right elbow surgery)
Expected return: 2024
Heuer faced another setback in his rehab with Triple-A Iowa on June 20. After firing a 1-0 offering over the head of the opposing Memphis batter, Heuer hopped around the mound in pain while favoring his pitching arm. 

Jed Hoyer, the Cubs president of baseball operations, noted on June 24 in London that Heuer underwent surgery on June 23 to repair a fractured right elbow. Heuer missed the remainder of the season and there is no timetable for his return. 

Heuer, 26, was pitching for Triple-A Iowa as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery (full reconstruction with an internal brace) and was nearing a potential return to the Cubs' bullpen. The silver lining within the latest setback for the hard-throwing righty is that all indications are that his surgically repaired ulnar collateral ligament is intact. (Last updated: Oct. 1)