Cubs place pitcher Marcus Stroman on 15-day IL with shoulder injury

The Chicago Cubs made a series of roster moves Friday, including the placement of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.

This is a slight surprise as there hadn’t been any reports about Stroman dealing with an injury. But maybe his previous start, when he allowed 10 hits, three homers and nine runs to the Cardinals, should have been a clue.

Prior to that outing, Stroman had been pretty solid over his previous five starts. He allowed six earned runs over 30 innings during that stretch. The return of left-handed starter Wade Miley gives the Cubs a well-timed replacement for Stroman in their rotation.

In other Cubs news, outfielder Clint Frazier has been designated for assignment. Now, this wouldn’t normally be considered as worthwhile news, but with the Cubs playing at Yankee Stadium this weekend, Frazier spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this week about his time with the New York Yankees from 2016-21. He unleashed some criticism, including saying that you had to be a “cookie-cutter version” of yourself to fit in.

And then, on the day he was supposed to make his return to the Bronx, Frazier is cast off much like he was by New York last November.

By the way, Frazier, a former top prospect with Cleveland, is batting .216 with a .297 slugging percentage in just 37 at-bats this season with the Cubbies.