Madrigal goes from all tight to all right
MESA, Ariz. — A day after being held out of the lineup for what the Cubs deemed to be leg fatigue, second baseman Nick Madrigal said he felt great.
Madrigal, who had season-ending surgery on a torn right hamstring last June, said he felt tightness in his right glute as he warmed up Friday, possibly stemming in part from a tight lower back.
“I thought that as I got warm, it would kind of go away,” Madrigal said Saturday, “And then yesterday, it was just lingering around. I started to run some bases, and they saw me not 100% and immediately pulled me out.”
Madrigal said he told the medical staff he could play, but the Cubs wanted to take a cautious approach. He went through workouts Saturday and is scheduled to play in a minorleague game Sunday.
“My ultimate goal is to be out there every day, but I know it was a big surgery, and there’s a smarter approach to it,” Madrigal said, looking ahead to the regular season. “I think it’s just something we have to be in communication with the training staff, the coaches [about] throughout the year and see where it goes.”
Givens debuts
Reliever Mychal Givens threw a hitless inning with a walk and three strikeouts in his Cubs spring debut.
He was on the schedule to throw in a game earlier in the week but opted for a bullpen session instead. Manager David Ross said he was experiencing soreness, but Givens downplayed that, saying he didn’t want to jump right into a game after only throwing a bullpen session and one session of live batting practice.
Givens, whom the Cubs signed a week and a half ago, didn’t commit to being ready in time for Opening Day, saying, “My body will tell me, and we’ll see.”
Simmons still slowed
Shortstop Andrelton Simmons didn’t completely rule out returning in time for Opening Day.
“But I also want to be game-ready,” he said. “I don’t want to come in and have to catch up. So hopefully I’ll work with the staff, and they’ll tell me the plan on when a good time to start is.”
He is still progressing in his throwing program, making it unlikely that he’ll reach that goal by Thursday.
Miley news
Left-hander Wade Miley, whom the Cubs shut down from throwing for 10 days after an MRI exam this week showed elbow inflammation, said he won’t have to start over the rampup process when he’s cleared to throw.
“I just want to get to it now instead of fighting it all year,” he said, adding that he’ll continue with his shoulder program in the meantime.
Miley is expected to begin the season on the injured list.
Chavez selected
The Cubs selected the contract of veteran righty Jesse Chavez from Triple-A. Chavez signed a minor-league deal with a spring-training invitation last month. He gives the Cubs another reliever who can throw multiple innings.