With the trade deadline acquisition of a new stud reliever in Justin Wilson, and a new back-up catcher in Alex Avila, the Cubs had to accommodate a couple spots on the 25-man roster before tonight’s series opener against the Diamondbacks.
Our expectation all along has been that the Cubs would take the path of least resistance on those spots, optioning reliever Justin Grimm and catcher Victor Caratini to Iowa … and, sure enough, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
If there is an injury or other opening on the roster, we could see these guys back at some point in August. But if that doesn’t happen, you can expect to see them in September, when rosters expand to include the full 40-man.
Caratini’s debut stint with the Cubs saw him hit a game-winning homer this weekend, and hit .192/.250/.385 in 28 plate appearances. The 23-year-old switch-hitter is going to have a big league career, but for now, he’ll get some more work at AAA.
Grimm, 28, has had an up-and-down season in more ways than one, but he is mostly the victim of a numbers game at this point, plus the fact that he had a minor league option available. His 5.18 ERA and 5.55 FIP this season are uninspiring, but they were a much better 3.86 and 3.97 since he came back up to the big leagues from his first stint at AAA Iowa back in May.