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CHICAGO -- Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman will be out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a cartilage fracture in his right rib, the team announced Wednesday.

Stroman, 32, had been scheduled to come off the injured list to pitch on Wednesday against the White Sox, but he experienced discomfort in his ribs following a bullpen session in Toronto on Sunday. Stroman, who was already nursing a sore hip when the fracture occurred, underwent an MRI on Monday.

"It's an unusual injury for a pitcher," said Jed Hoyer, the Cubs' president of baseball operations. "We found out on Sunday he was having some issues. We didn't know if it was muscular, we didn't know if it was skeletal. We didn't know if it was indigestion. We didn't know what it was."

Stroman hasn't pitched since going on the injured list after his start on July 31. He gave up six runs in three innings in that outing, capping a rough month after a solid start to his season. He posted a 9.11 ERA in July after compiling a 2.59 mark over the first three months of the season.

Hoyer was asked if Stroman could miss the rest of the season.

"I have no idea," he said. "That's the honest truth. We don't know at this point. We'll give him a real rest period and see how he feels."

Added manager David Ross: "We have to wait and see. I know he'll try to work his way back and help us out."

In Stroman's place, righty Javier Assad will get the bulk of the starts, including Wednesday night's six-inning effort against the White Sox, in which he allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks and struck out four in a 4-3 victory. It was Assad's 12th start in his two-year big league career.

Assad has a 3.11 ERA in 22 games this season, with most of the appearances coming in relief.

"Assad has been fantastic for us in all these different roles," Hoyer said. "Hopefully someone else will step up during this period."

Chicago is already navigating around another struggling pitcher, Drew Smyly, though he's likely to return to the rotation after being sent to the bullpen recently. Smyly picked up the win Wednesday night after pitching a scoreless ninth.

Assad joins Smyly, Kyle Hendricks, Jameson Taillon and Cy Young candidate Justin Steele to round out the team's current rotation.

The Cubs are in the wild-card and division races in the NL after a win streak just before the trade deadline allowed the team to add instead of subtract from its roster. But the starting staff has been up-and-down lately, contributing to a 4.84 team ERA since the All-Star break. That's good for just 10th in the NL entering play Wednesday. Now the Cubs will be without a veteran starter for the near future.

"We'll move forward with the guys we have now," Hoyer said. "Hopefully we'll keep playing well."

CHICAGO -- — Christopher Morel sprinted around first with his arms extended and his mouth wide open. He threw his batting helmet into the air as he made his way to second, and then cast aside his jersey as he rounded third.

Finally, he jumped on home plate, surrounded by his delirious teammates with the Chicago Cubs — punctuating a wild finish in a crosstown rivalry.

Morel hit a dramatic three-run homer off Gregory Santos in the ninth inning, sending the Cubs to a memorable 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

“I mean Christopher Morel ... it's just so electric,” manager David Ross said. “That ball was smoked.”

Cody Bellinger sparked the winning rally with a leadoff double. Dansby Swanson then walked before Morel drove a 99.5 mph sinker on a 1-2 pitch from Santos (2-1) over the wall in right-center for his 19th homer.

The Wrigley Field crowd of 40,869 cheered wildly as Morel set off on his wild trip around the bases. It was his first career game-ending homer, and he credited former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras for a tip that helped him stay focused with the game on the line.

“Willson once told me ‘In those moments, just try to stay like in the eye of the hurricane.’ ... Just think about what I'm doing in that moment. Don't think about anything else,” Morel said through a translator.

It was the second homer allowed by Santos in 51 appearances this year. The right-hander allowed a total of two runs over his previous 12 games.

“I was ahead in the count and threw a good pitch. He didn’t swing at it,” Santos said through a translator. “It’s like, ‘Well, let’s attack him again.’ It was a sinker, and he hit it.”

The Cubs were looking at a third straight loss before their big finish. Nick Madrigal connected for a pinch-hit homer against Aaron Bummer in the eighth, and Drew Smyly (9-8) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

The White Sox (48-73) wasted a terrific performance by Mike Clevinger, who tossed seven innings of two-hit ball. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 2.15 ERA in his last nine starts.

Gavin Sheets hit a two-run homer for the White Sox, who had won six in a row at Wrigley. Sheets' drive in the fifth was his first homer since June 16 and No. 9 on the season, and it led to chants of “Let's go White Sox!” from slices of the crowd.

“That one, that hurts,” Sheets said. “This is a great series and a great atmosphere. Both fan bases show up and you obviously want to win for them. It’s a tough one.”

The Cubs (62-58), who are fighting for a playoff spot in the crowded NL standings, took three of four in the season series against the White Sox. Javier Assad was charged with three runs, two earned, and four hits in six innings.

Marcus Stroman was slated to come off the injured list and start the game, but the All-Star right-hander experienced some discomfort after a bullpen session on Sunday. An MRI showed a right rib cartilage fracture, and the North Siders said there is no timetable for his return with his new injury.

NOT BAD AT ALL

Andrew Benintendi had a solid all-around performance for the White Sox. He singled and scored on Assad's wild pitch in the fourth. Benintendi then robbed Dansby Swanson of a hit in the bottom half of the inning, making a diving catch in left with two runners on.

HE'S BACK ... FOR NOW

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson went 0 for 3 with a walk in his return to the lineup after he was scratched from the series opener because of neck stiffness. There has been no word on Anderson's appeal of his six-game suspension by Major League Baseball for his role in a fight with Cleveland slugger José Ramírez.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: OF/DH Eloy Jiménez (groin) got the day off. He got hurt trying to beat out a grounder to the pitcher during Tuesday night's 5-3 over the Cubs. Manager Pedro Grifol said Jiménez is day to day.

Cubs: RHP Nick Burdi (appendectomy) is expected to make another rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa on Friday. ... RHP Brad Boxberger (forearm strain) and LHP Brandon Hughes (left knee inflammation) are scheduled for bullpen sessions on Thursday.

UP NEXT

White Sox: Following an off day, RHP Michael Kopech (5-10, 4.58 ERA) faces Colorado RHP Peter Lambert (2-4, 5.46 ERA) on Friday night in the opener of a three-game set at the Rockies.

Cubs: RHP Jameson Taillon (7-7, 5.71 ERA) starts Friday afternoon in the opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Taillon was tagged for eight runs in three-plus innings in an 11-4 loss at Toronto on Sunday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

It might be bizarre, but over the years in Chicago, more than one vegan who grew up in the city has told me they miss Italian beefs the most.

Pizza can’t be replicated without cheese and vegan cheese substitutes are getting better and better. For Chicago-style hot dogs, folks may fixate on the sausage and if the casing has the right snap. But there’s a reason it’s nicknamed the “salad on a bun.” The tomatoes, onions, relish, and pickles provide an essential foundation as long as the buns are free of eggs, dairy, or honey.

Finding a proper vegan French roll for an Italian beef might not pose a Herculean challenge, but making Italian beef is a labor-intensive process. Veganizing doesn’t make it easier.

Kevin Schuder loves challenges. He’s the chef and owner of Fancy Plants Kitchen and one of the city’s most talented chefs. He just happens to be vegan. Schuder’s first Chicago restaurant, a small cafe in Lakeview off Broadway and Briar, gave locals a taste of Schuder’s imagination, but the tiny kitchen had its limitations.

In 2021, Schuder expanded his Fancy Plants brand and opened a full-service restaurant in Lincoln Park with a bar near DePaul’s campus. The pandemic slowed the momentum but last month Schuder started daytime service. He serves vegan pastries, croissants, sandwiches, and coffee drinks during the day, and fine-dining vegan meals at night.

One of those sandwiches Schuder unveiled is a vegan Italian beef sandwich and it’s delightful. For fans who followed the chef’s career, they’ll trace the sandwich’s origin back to Schuder’s experiments with creating a vegan burger. Annoyed by the public’s fascination with factory-made meat substitutes from Impossible Brands and Beyond Meat, Schuder dedicated himself to building a better burger.

Two years ago the Buona chain released an Italian beef made of seitan. Now it’s Fancy Plants’ turn without the aid of a food scientist. Schuder also uses seitan, he says he employs the same method Buddhist monks have used for thousands of years — taking a ball of flour and kneading it under water to get rid of most of the starch. That just leaves the wheat’s protein. As far as the beefy flavoring? It’s yeast garam from the Noma Guide to Fermentation: “It’s using its own enzymes to create umami,” Schuder says.

It’s a wonder and one of the best sandwiches around. Schuder is keen to give locals a fun place to hang out during the day. Vegans and omnivores would be well-advised to visit Fancy Plants Kitchen in Lincoln Park.

Fancy Plants Kitchen, 1443 W. Fullerton Avenue.

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WILL Perdue was shocked to find out he'd been traded by the Chicago Bulls despite being a key part of their team.

The 7-foot center won three straight NBA titles with the all-conquering Bulls side led by Michael Jordan.

Perdue was drafted by the Bulls in 1988 and was involved in the title-winning sides of 1991, 1992, and 1993.

He played backup to Bill Cartwright for large parts of his time in Chicago but earned the starting role during the 1994-95 season.

But the Bulls shocked the world, and even Perdue, when they made a blockbuster trade.

Perdue was sent to the San Antonio Spurs in 1995 with Dennis Rodman going the other way to Chicago.

In an interview with Chicago-based NBC affiliate WMAQ, Perdue recalled: "I mean I literally had just moved into this brand new house in Lake Forest.

"It had nine foot doors and tall ceilings and I, I built it specifically for me.

"I'm old school, had paper’s delivered, get up in the morning take the dog out, the dog’s running around, doing its business and the paper comes.

"I picked the paper up and like most people I’m just standing at the end of the driveway, flipping through.

"I pull the sports section out and it’s all in big bold: Bulls trade Purdue for Dennis Rodman.”

Perdue continued: "My agent didn’t know, Jerry (Krause, Bulls general manager) never alerted me of it.

"I had to go back inside and call my agent and he’s like 'that son of a b***h.'

"He goes 'well he briefly mentioned it, but he didn’t tell me he was going to pull the trigger, I told him if he was going to pull the trigger to call me first so I could talk to you about it and he didn’t do it.'"

The trade worked out for all parties with Rodman's arrival helping the Bulls to three more NBA titles from 1996 to 1998.

Perdue captured his fourth NBA ring the following year with the Spurs.

He had the rare honor of playing on two basketball dynasties with 1999 the first of San Antonio's four titles in eight years.

The offensive line as a whole performed well above expectations for the Chicago Bears in the preseason win over the Tennessee Titans. They allowed only three pressures all day, consistently giving their quarterbacks respectable pockets. Most of the love on the starting unit went to 1st round pick Darnell Wright. He showcased his athleticism and power on two key blocks during the game, proving he’s every bit the top 10 talent he deserved to be. Teven Jenkins also looked good, getting in one of his signature pancake blocks. However, people haven’t given enough credit to Braxton Jones.

After all the talk about how much the big left tackle needed to improve, people didn’t bother to stop and appreciate what he showed. Yes, he didn’t play a ton of Titans starters. That didn’t stop him from having a strong showing. Three plays, in particular, illustrated how valuable he is for this team.

Braxton Jones play #1: 11-yard throw to Khari Blasingame

The first play of the game. It’s a simple design. Justin Fields takes a quick five-step drop and hits the fullback on a leak route for an 11-yard gain. All of the blocking is great, but Jones especially. He’s the only one that went from start to finish without any help. It’s not like he faced a scrub, either. Rashad Weaver (#99) had 5.5 sacks last season. Jones demonstrated great hand technique and footwork to completely shut him down. That is a textbook win for an NFL tackle.

Play #2: The 62-yard bubble screen to D.J. Moore

It was the only catch more made the entire day and nobody was unhappy with that. The receiver corralled a slightly off-target pass from Fields, saw a lane and hit it with remarkable speed and acceleration. What is crazy about the play is he was never touched. The downfield blocking was outstanding, but none of it happens without Braxton Jones. Defensive back #29 Josh Thompson is in a position to blow the play up. He’s got a direct line to Moore. At the last second, Jones that athleticism and long arms to knock him to the turf. Moore took care of the rest.

Play #3: Khalil Herbert’s 56-yard screen TD

This screen play almost faltered due to a delayed blitz by Tennessee. Herbert took longer than expected to get out into his route. Wright got primary credit for his block on the right edge rusher, ensuring Fields didn’t have to face pressure from that side. What people overlooked was how Jones engaged the left edge rusher and basically drove him out of the play to the right. That gave Fields a wide open path to scramble left, finding Herbert for the eventual long touchdown. That demonstrates his newfound savvy. Jones knew who his quarterback was. The more space you give Fields to scramble, the better. A smart play with a great finish too.