It’s a boy! Or maybe a girl! Who cares as long as he/she’s a southpaw, amiright?!
I kid, of course, but Chicago Cubs closer Wade Davis is indeed heading to the paternity list as he has (presumably) had a baby! Congrats!
Davis, as we all know, has been lights out as the Cubs closer this season and he’ll be sorely missed while he’s gone. But, alas, there are far more important things in life than baseball, and having a child is arguably at the very top of that list.
Carl Edwards Jr., the Cubs’ next best reliever, will probably be in line to replace Davis as the team’s closer in the time being … or, you know, maybe he won’t. The Cubs do have a former closer in Hector Rondon, a dominant back-end arm in Pedro Strop, and then there’s Koji Uehara who closed out last night’s game in Davis’ absence anyway.
On that front, we’ll have to wait and see, but my gut tells me it’s either Edwards, or some sort of closer by committee approach. I wouldn’t mind seeing Edwards get the lion’s share, however, given that he’s typically considered to be the Cubs closer of the future.
As for who’s actually replacing Davis on the roster, the Cubs’ tweet says it all:
RHP Wade Davis has been placed on the paternity list. RHP Dylan Floro was recalled from @IowaCubs.
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 5, 2017
Floro has bounced up and down from Triple-A Iowa to Chicago twice already this season, having completed 6.1 innings of relief in just two appearances. His last time out was a bit of a struggle, as he lasted just 2.0 innings against the Brewers, while allowing five earned runs on seven hits and a walk. Hopefully, things go a bit smoother this time around.
And, of course, Davis will be back eventually, but until then … WOOHOO! Go dads!