Cubs' Tyler Austin undergoes knee surgery, expected to be out for months

MESA, Ariz. — Cubs first baseman Tyler Austin underwent a surgical cleanup on his right knee Tuesday and is expected to be out for months, manager Craig Counsell announced.

“He’d come into camp, and there is some history of knee issues, and it just didn't respond well early,” Counsell said Wednesday morning.

It became clear that a patellar tendon debridement would be necessary. Austin’s surgery was one of three injury updates Counsell provided Wednesday. In addition, left-hander Jordan Wicks has been dealing with inflammation in his left forearm, and first baseman Jonathon Long’s recovery from a sprained left elbow has slowed.

Austin, after landing a split contract and 40-man roster spot with the Cubs this offseason, entered camp with an “inside track,” as Counsell put it, to breaking camp with the team.

A former top Yankees prospect, Austin is aiming to return to MLB this season after six seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. His signing provided a right-handed bat off the Cubs bench to pair with left-handed-hitting Michael Busch.

Already, Busch was expected to get more at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season than in years past. Now, the Cubs’ depth behind him is thin.

Could they pursue an outside addition to address the loss?

“You go through this exercise in spring training of backup plans on top of backup plans,” Counsell said. “And you just can't be covered ideally in every single situation.”

Long, who hit .305 in Triple-A last year, is a backup option.

“Whether he's with the big-league team or whether he's in Triple-A, he's a day away,” Counsell said.

Designated hitter and catcher Moisés Ballesteros is also expected to take reps at first base this spring. And the Cubs have a number of options in emergency situations.

Long’s decision

Long was originally scheduled to leave Tuesday to join Team Chinese Taipei for the World Baseball Classic, but he pushed back his travel date after spraining his left elbow in an in-game collision Saturday.

Long’s latest injury update throws his availability for the tournament into question.

“Things are going a little more slowly, probably, on the recovery, than we'd all like,” Counsell said Wednesday. “So he has a WBC decision to make.”

Wicks avoids worst case

A recent MRI of Wicks’ throwing arm didn’t raise any concerns about the stability of his ulnar collateral ligament, Counsell said. The Cubs are still trying to find the exact source of Wicks’ discomfort, but the imaging results suggest he won’t need Tommy John surgery.

Wicks has taken the last five days off of throwing, Counsell said, and responded well.

“In terms of length of time down, we're probably still looking just at days down, not weeks,” Counsell said.