He has returned! Protect him from all pants!
Cubs closer Brandon Morrow has been activated from the disabled list after resting up his lower back. Reliever Cory Mazzoni has been optioned back to AAA Iowa to open up a spot.
In his first season with the Cubs, the 33-year-old closer has saved 16 games over 26 appearances and 22.2 innings. He has a 1.59 ERA, a 27.5 % strikeout rate, and a 9.9% walk rate. And, perhaps most importantly, he doesn’t give us terrible bouts of heartburn when he’s out there. Generally speaking, Morrow comes in pumping, and the game ends soon thereafter without a lot of freaking out.
Morrow’s return not only shores up the 9th inning, because obviously, but it also helps by strengthening the bullpen unit overall, and gives Joe Maddon a lot more flexibility in his earlier reliever usage.