The Chicago Cubs are not in the playoffs but some of their players from the 2022 season are. They were a somewhat active team at the 2022 trade deadline which allowed some of their better trade chips to make runs in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, two of the biggest pieces moved off the rosters are now hurt going into the second round. Scott Effross isn’t on the New York Yankees roster for the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians due to an elbow injury.
That is bad news for the Yankees who wanted him as a part of their bullpen for a long time. It is a very injured pen too which makes it even worse.
It doesn’t end there for former Cubs relievers. David Robertson is off the Philadelphia Phillies roster as he strained his right calf.
The odd thing about this injury is that he didn’t do it while playing baseball. He hurt his calf while jumping up and down after a Bryce Harper home run in the Wild Card series against the St. Louis Cardinals. That is a wild way to hurt yourself during the playoffs.
Two former Cubs relievers were announced as injured during the playoffs.
Both of these guys are going to have to hope that their team is able to get it done without them. Effross is for sure not coming back but there is a chance that Robertson is able to return.
Neither the Phillies nor the Yankees are happy about this as they both have a very hard series ahead of them. Each of them is going to have to dig deep in their bullpen in order to come out on top. It is just a shame that they have to miss this exciting time and watch from the dugout.
Both Robertson and Effross were magnificent for the Chicago Cubs in 2022. It wasn’t an easy team to play for but they came out and dominated when called upon. That allowed the Cubs to move on from them and get some assets.
We can only hope that the returns (Ben Brown and Hayden Wesneski) turn out to be worthy returns for two good relievers that were pitching well. Hopefully, Effross and Robertson are able to return healthy (albeit at different times).
