Jake Arrieta could be ready Opening Week for Cubs

‘Setback’ is a bad word to hear for a club in regards to a pitcher coming off of an injury. If there aren’t any of those, Jake Arrieta has a shot at being ready by Opening Day.

Arrieta, who was traded to the Cubs in the middle of last season, had experienced shoulder tightness during a pre-Spring Training workout two weeks ago. Cubs officials had all but ruled him out for being ready by the start of the season. Now, says the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzalez, being ready by Opening Day isn’t that far of a stretch. He reports that Arrieta could be ready to throw off of a mound by next week, depending on how well his throwing session goes on Saturday.

Arrieta maintains that the injury isn’t serious, and he tells the Chicago Sun Times that the pain has gone away.

"I played catch the last few days, and I feel good with where I’m at. I think we’ll have a much better understanding [of a timeline] as we progress. The main thing right now is to be cautious, to make sure I’m around for the long haul rather than try to rush things and progress a little too quickly and maybe have a setback at some point."

The soon-to-be-28-year old was the Opening Day starter for the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 after a promising 2011. He struggled for the rest of that year and in 2013 with Baltimore, but when he was traded to Chicago in 2013, things started to look better for him. In nine starts with the Cubs, he pitched to a 4-2 record with a 3.66 ERA over 51.2 innings.