In case you missed the move yesterday (and missed the guy pitching at the end of yesterday’s game), the Cubs optioned pitcher Jeff Samardzija back to AAA Iowa in favor of reliever Justin Berg, who finally got to make his MLB debut after being shuffled up and down previously without an appearance.
Samardzija will likely continue starting at AAA Iowa, though he’ll probably join the Cubs’ bullpen when rosters expand on September 1.
Samardzija still has all the physical tools necessary to be a great pitcher in MLB, and will simply have to work on his pitches. He has only focused exclusively on baseball for a few years now, so there’s no need to be disappointed with his performance this year (17 games, 7+ ERA) with the Cubs.