Adbert Alzolay is set to return to the Chicago Cubs rotation Monday with a start against the Cleveland Indians

Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune
·3 min read
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Adbert Alzolay will be a welcome reinforcement for the Chicago Cubs rotation when he returns from the injured list Monday against the Cleveland Indians.

Alzolay will be making his first start since June 7, when he left in the fourth inning of a 9-4 loss to the Padres in San Diego after developing a blister on his right middle finder. The Cubs placed him on the IL the next day.

But as eager as the Cubs are to get Alzolay and his 86-mph slider back on the mound, manager David Ross said he would ease the right-hander back into service.

How limited will he be?

“Would you like me to tell the other team exactly how many pitches he’s throwing?” Ross joked to reporters.

The Cubs have missed having another starting arm who not only can throw effectively but eat up innings. Alzolay, 26, averages 5.2 innings per start, second on the team to Kyle Hendricks’ 5.8.

“Oh, man, (I’m) pretty excited,” Alzolay said about his return. “Threw a short bullpen today, everything was feeling good. So excited to be back on Monday on the bump.”

He had a high-intensity bullpen session Thursday.

Despite missing two weeks, Alzolay still is second on the team in strikeouts with 62, and his 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings is second among Cubs pitchers with at least 10 starts. He is in the 61st percentile in Major League Baseball in chase rate, and his 28.2% whiff rate is on pace for a career high.

“He’s a big piece we’ve been missing,” Ross said. “He’s one of the guys who’s really been giving us some consistent starting pitching with real swing-and-miss.

“He’s been a real asset to our rotation this year, so getting him back ... is a big piece and a step toward us getting back to full strength.”

While in New York for the Mets series, Alzolay said he studied how other Cubs pitchers worked, particularly Hendricks and Jake Arrieta, and stayed positive despite his disappointment about not being able to contribute.

“It hasn’t been that hard for me,” Alzolay said. “I have a group of guys here that talk to me every single day, explain to me things that happened to them before. Just keep my mind right and just keep working. I feel like I have a very good routine to keep my body ready, to keep everything moving. So it hasn’t been that bad for me.

“But yeah, sometimes it will hit you because you’ll be like I can’t do anything right now — just watch the game and that’s it. I can’t be in action right now. But everything is feeling good, my emotions are there and everything is fine.”