Cubs rumors: Marcus Stroman latest, phenom prospect, reliever returning

Cubs rumors: Marcus Stroman makes progress towards a return

For most of the season, Marcus Stroman anchored the Chicago Cubs rotation and was one of the best pitchers in the entire National League.

But recently, Stroman ended up on the injured list with hip inflammation, obviously causing concern throughout the entire Cubs organization. But not everything is bad for the righty, as he recently made significant progress towards a return to the big-league club.

On Friday, Stroman threw the second bullpen of his IL stint, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, and there remains optimism that he’ll be reinstated next week once he becomes eligible. A hip injury is often the type of injury that nags on for much longer than many think or expect, which might have had something to do with his poor performance leading up to landing on the IL. He surrendered 22 earned runs over his last five starts, which only totaled 21 innings.

The Cubs are going to need Stroman to return and return to form in order to take the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds are still very much in the mix of the division race. Stroman’s looming return will boost the team tremendously.