PHOENIX – It doesn’t sound like Neil Ramirez is all that close to rejoining the Cubs bullpen and getting back on the track that had him looking like an elite setup guy.
During Friday’s pregame media session at Chase Field, manager Joe Maddon was asked where Ramirez is at and if he had a sense of how close – or how far away – the hard-throwing right-hander is from returning after a shoulder injury.
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“I honestly do not,” Maddon said before a 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks that lasted 13 innings. “I asked about him a couple days ago and there was nothing really relevant, like he’s close, he’s getting better, it’s on the horizon. I did not get that.
“It’s kind of a status quo. Nothing awful, nothing a lot better, pretty much still in that limbo state.”
The Cubs will be understandably cautious with Ramirez, who hasn’t pitched since April 15 and has been working out at the team’s complex in Mesa. There was a sense of relief when the initial MRI showed no structural damage, just some inflammation in the back of his shoulder.
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The Cubs view Ramirez as a long-term asset after his spectacular rookie season in 2014. He piled up 53 strikeouts in 43.2 innings and finished with a 1.44 ERA.
Getting Ramirez back would be a game-changer for a bullpen that’s been dealing with some well-documented issues (4.24 ERA, eight blown saves).