Chicago Cubs: Jose Quintana to miss start of MLB season after freak injury

Jose Quintana will be forced to wait a bit longer to start his MLB season. The Cubs’ southpaw won’t throw for a few weeks after suffering a freak injury.

Most MLB players have used the pandemic-induced break to recover from injury. Jose Quintana didn’t get that memo. The Cubs’ starter has suffered an injury that will actually force him to miss the beginning of the 2020 campaign.

Quintana cut his thumb while washing dishes at his Miami residence on Saturday. The injury was severe enough to require five stitches and nerve repair. If all goes according to plan, Quintana can start throwing again in two weeks.

The 31-year-old wasn’t an ace for Chicago a season ago, but he did a great job of eating up innings at the bottom of the team’s rotation. Losing any starting pitcher is going to be an issue for teams as they approach a condensed 60-game season. Losing Quintana will put additional pressure on the other members of the team’s starting rotation.

That’s a particular concern for a team that relies so heavily on Jon Lester and Yu Darvish to perform as their No. 1 and No. 2 starters. Lester has been remarkably durable in recent seasons but he will be 36-years-old when the 2020 season begins. Darvish’s health concerns have perplexed the Cubs at times. Counting on both players to stay healthy for a full 60-game slate is a risk Chicago will now be forced to take.

The good news is that Quintana does have the potential to be back before the season gets away from his team. As long as he stays out of the kitchen for the next few weeks he should return in time to help the Cubs try to capture another World Series title.