Cubs Opening Day Roster Battle Just Got A Lot More Interesting

Craig Counsell dropped a mini bombshell on Wednesday, when he announced that veteran right-handed hitter Tyler Austin underwent knee surgery earlier this week and will be out of action for months. Austin, who signed a one-year, free agent deal with the Cubs this past offseason, had a solid chance to make the Opening Day roster, but that spring training competition just got a lot more interesting.

Austin put up good power numbers during his six seasons playing in the NPB in Japan after...