Griffin Canning is still recovering from last year's ruptured left Achilles tendon and will start the 2026 season on the injured list. He is already throwing just fine but isn't yet ready to field his position. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune says that a return in late April is possible but that May or June would be more likely.
He tells Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that he's about a month behind the other pitchers in camp. He hopes to get into a Grapefruit League game before spring training is done but isn't guaranteed to do so. The injury tracker at MLB.com lists his expected return as early May.
Jordan Wicks, a depth pitcher for the Cubs, has paused his throwing program while dealing with left forearm inflammation. Craig Counsell said an MRI showed "no UCL concerns." The club hopes Wicks' timeline is "days down, not weeks."
Basically, back in the day, MLB had a problem with some teams signing and stashing guys that could probably be productive major leaguers in their farm system. This was all before the Rule 4 (amateur) draft and stuff like "international amateur free agency" with bonus pools and the like, and basically the idea was that MLB wanted MLB-caliber players in MLB, not waiting in the wings.