The Cubs just named Kyuji Fujikawa as their closer last Sunday, but they’ll now have to go back to the drawing board for the ninth inning.
According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago, Fujikawa has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a muscle sprain in his right forearm. Rafael Dolis has been called up to take his place in the Cubs’ bullpen.
It’s not clear how long Fujikawa has been pitching through the injury, but it provides some context for his early hiccups. The 32-year-old right-hander allowed three runs on three hits in a blown save against the Giants yesterday and also gave up three runs in an appearance against the Braves last Saturday.
Rogers notes that the Cubs will use a closer-by-committee approach in Fujikawa’s absence, but Carlos Marmol is not expected to be a part of it. This means that right-hander Shawn Camp and left-hander James Russell will likely get most of the save chances.
