After start starting the season on the disabled list with tightness in is throwing shoulder, 28-year-old Chicago Cubs' SP Jake Arrieta made his fifth and final rehab start on Saturday, and will join the Cubs on Monday. Arrieta will not yet be added to the 25-man roster, but expect him to make his season debut sometime this week.
The Cubs acquired Arrieta and Pedro Strop early last July, when they sent Scott Feldman to the Baltimore Orioles. After a tune-up in Triple-A, Arrieta finished the season in the Cubs' rotation with solid success. In 9 starts with the Cubs, Arrieta went 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.123 WHIP. He has always had impressive stuff, but he finally seemed to be putting it all together with the Cubs last year.
With Carlos Villanueva (1-3, 10.19 ERA) struggling in the rotation, Arrieta's return could not come soon enough. Villanueva is likely to head back to the bullpen when Arrieta returns, but it will be interesting to see how the Cubs handle the rotation this week. Villanueva is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Reds, but it seems very unlikely that the Cubs bring Arrieta back then, as he would only be on four days of rest.
Because of his intriguing upside, Arrieta was a player to look heading into 2014. Unfortunately, the shoulder injury has held him back, and we have yet to see how he has progressed as a pitcher over the offseason. With the injury behind him, Arrieta is once again a key player to keep an eye on as the Cubs look to find hidden gems who will help the team in the future. Arrieta still has plenty of intriguing upside, and the Cubs will give him a huge opportunity to reach it this season, in hopes that he becomes a key core roster piece.