Kevin Gausman’s Status Uncertain After Left Shoulder ‘Grabbed’ on Tag Play
The play that appeared to have helped the Cubs in the moment may turn out to have a decidedly negative impact, but we won’t know for a while yet. Kevin Gausman was excellent on Wednesday night, allowing only a two-run homer to Kyle Stowers in the 6th, but he had to leave early after a wild play at third.
Following a walk, Heriberto Hernandez tried to stretch for third with no one covering on a Griffin Conine single. Gausman raced over, took a throw from Michael Busch, and dove to apply the tag for the second out. He came up wincing and was replaced by Javier Assad, who finished the inning without incident.
Kevin Gausman exited tonight’s game after applying a tag in the 6th inning. pic.twitter.com/YfhXjcDnn8
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 24, 2026
“His left shoulder got extended kind of weird,” Craig Counsell said after the game. “Just grabbed on him a little bit. He’s a little sore right now, but we’ll treat it and see how he is in the next couple of days.”
This might seem like nothing more than an abundance of caution, but Gausman told reporters that he had previously dislocated the shoulder in high school. He said it felt weak after landing on it to make that play and that he’s hoping it’ll clear up after a good night’s sleep. Maybe his left arm would be under less strain if he wore a regular-size glove instead of that massive contraption that would look big even on Aaron Judge.
I kid, of course, but I do find his glove funny. Gausman uses it to prevent pitch tipping, a strategy that is probably more mental than anything. The glove may have actually helped him to make that play last night too, so I guess there’s that.
If the injury ends up shutting him down, it wouldn’t just be another sad entry on the Cubs’ ever-increasing list of pitching injuries. Gausman figures to start one of the first two postseason games, so his loss would put even more pressure on a rotation that has underperformed. Matthew Boyd would have to get the start for Game 1 of their first playoff series.
Clay Holmes and David Peterson are starting in Friday’s doubleheader contests, then it figures to be Shota Imanaga on short rest for Saturday. That is going to make things tough on the bullpen, so the Cubs have to be hoping the Red Sox are mailing it in by then. You have to figure Counsell will look to lean more heavily on Colin Rea, who has only pitched twice in the last two weeks.
It’s also possible we see Justin Steele activated, even if it’s just to eat an inning or two in a non-competitive game. This is starting to feel like a broken-down race car that’s being pushed across the finish line, but at least the Cubs have Sunday and Monday off to circle the wagons and perform emergency repairs to get that car back on the track.
