MESA, Ariz. — Cubs first baseman Tyler Austin had a surgical cleanup on his right knee Tuesday and is expected to be out for months, manager Craig Counsell said.
‘‘He’d come into camp [with] some history of knee issues, and it just didn’t respond well early,’’ Counsell said Wednesday.
It became clear that surgery on his patellar tendon would be necessary.
Austin’s surgery was one of three injury updates Counsell provided. In addition to that, he said 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.
After landing a split contract and a spot on the 40-man roster spot this offseason, Austin entered camp with an ‘‘inside track,’’ as Counsell put it, to break camp with the team.
A former top prospect with the Yankees, Austin is aiming to return to MLB this season after six seasons in Japan. His signing gave the Cubs a right-handed bat off the bench to pair with left-handed-hitting Michael Busch.
Busch already 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.
Might 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 last season at Triple-A Iowa, 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 Moises Ballesteros also is expected to take reps at first base this spring. And the Cubs have a number of options in emergency situations.
Long’s decision
Long originally was 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.
His latest injury update throws his availability for the tournament into question.
‘‘Things are going a little more slowly on the recovery than we’d all like,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘So he has a WBC decision to make.’’
Wicks avoids worst case
A recent MRI exam on Wicks’ left arm didn’t raise any concerns about the stability of his ulnar collateral ligament, Counsell said. The Cubs still are trying to find the source of Wicks’ discomfort, but the imaging results suggest he won’t need Tommy John surgery.
Wicks has taken the last five days off from throwing and responded well, Counsell said.
Taillon to take another turn
Right-hander Jameson Taillon will make one more spring start before joining Team Canada for the WBC.
‘‘I kind of had the choice to pitch here or go throw an exhibition game with Canada,’’ he said after allowing three runs in two innings Wednesday against the Rockies. ‘‘I chose to make one more here.’’
Rockies 14, Cubs 7
The Cubs (2-4) rolled out a lineup full of regulars for the first time this spring. It featured second baseman Nico Hoerner, third baseman Alex Bregman, left fielder Ian Happ, shortstop Dansby Swanson, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, catcher Miguel Amaya and right fielder Matt Shaw, in that order.
• Right-hander Cade Horton made his spring debut, piggybacking off right-hander Jameson Taillon’s start. Horton pitched two hitless innings.
• Shaw, still getting used to right, finally had a ball hit to him that tested his ability. He ranged to his right but hesitated as he neared Crow-Armstrong, and the ball hit off his glove. They discussed the play afterward, Shaw said. Crow-Armstrong normally would claim that ball, but the sun made it harder for him to pick it up.
• On deck: Cubs at Angels, 2:10 p.m. Thursday, Tempe, Matthew Boyd vs. TBD.
