CHICAGO — There was hope that Wednesday’s game against the White Sox would be the return of Marcus Stroman to the Cubs’ rotation. Instead, the club gave an update on the pitcher, and it wasn’t the best of news.

Just before the finale of the final City Series game at Wrigley Field, the Cubs announced that Stroman has a right rib cartilage fracture. Because of that, the team has no timeline as to when the 2023 National League All-Star will make his return to the rotation.

This comes after Stroman was placed on the injured list on August 2 with right hip inflammation after what was the worst stretch of the season. On Tuesday, manager David Ross said that his return had been delayed by right rib discomfort that came up during a bullpen session Sunday in Toronto.

In his second year with the Cubs, Stroman is 10-8 with a 3.35 ERA with 111 strikeouts compared to 50 walks. He had a strong first three months of the season, which helped him earn his second All-Star selection, but he struggled in July.

In his six starts, he had a 9.11 ERA, a stark contrast to his performances in June where he had a 2.17 ERA in five starts.

This comes as the Cubs are in running for a National League playoff spot with 43 games left to go. As of early Wednesday evening, the team is 3 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central and a game behind the Marlins for the last NL Wild Card spot.