Chicago Cubs Relief Pitcher Set to Undergo Right Arm Surgery

The Chicago Cubs got a tough blow as they'll have a reliever undergo surgery.

May 10, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Adbert Alzolay (73) is congratulated by catcher Miguel Amaya (9) after the Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. / David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs received some tough news on Thursday afternoon, as reliever Adbert Alzolay will undergo surgery on his right arm, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

Losing a relief picture the day after the deadline is always a tough blow, but he's been out since May 12, so the Cubs certainly understood this was a possibility.

After an impressive campaign in 2023 when he posted a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 22 saves, Alzolay struggled mightily this season. With this arm injury being an issue, it makes sense why he pitched the way that he did. His 4.67 ERA and 1.44 WHIP were career highs in any year he pitched in more than four games.

He's dealt with a few arm injuries throughout the past few seasons, nearly missing the entire 2022 campaign due to a shoulder strain. He also missed a few weeks in September of last year with a minor forearm strain.

It's uncertain what type of procedure he'll undergo, but this certainly isn't a positive sign.

Chicago diagnosed him with a flexor strain and shut him down entirely until he was transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier in 2024. He started a rehab assignment in July in Triple-A and was re-injured in his third appearance.

Hopefully, he'll be back and ready to go in 2025.

Alzolay doesn't hit free agency until 2027 and has team control until then. He's arbitration-eligible starting in 2025.

Looking to succeed next season, as Jed Hoyer has constantly preached throughout the past few weeks, he'll be a big part of that if he can get back to what he was in 2023.