Chicago Cubs announced on Thursday that their pitcher Jose Quintana is facing several weeks of downtime after undergoing thumb surgery. According to the team, Quintana will be out for at least two weeks but maybe even more depending on the recovery process.
Reportedly the 31-year-old left-hander lacerated his thumb while washing dishes at his Miami home. He ended up needing five stitches.
According to Cubs’ president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, they are hoping Quintana will be able to throw the ball again in a couple of weeks.
“There’s a best-case scenario in which it heals quickly and his thumb feels good and he can resume a pretty rapid ramp up from that point,” said Epstein. “He’s been built up, is pretty far along. But there’s certainly another scenario in which the nerve takes longer to heal and is going to be significantly delayed. We really can’t forecast it. We just have to wait and see and hope for the best.”
Jose Quintana, who has one All-Star appearance to his name, joined Cubs in 2017 from Chicago White Sox. He played 32 games in the 2019 season, posting 13-9 record with 4.68 ERA and 152 strikeouts.
Cubs are expected to start the “spring training” this week, while the MLB will probably schedule the Opening Day for 2020 season around July 24th. Quintana was expected to be part of the team’s rotation on the mound, but if he doesn’t recover in time, Chicago is expected to turn to Alec Mills.
“Someone like Alec Mills is well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity and establish himself as a starting pitcher in this league,” Epstein added.
