If you are among the rotating 7th/8th-man options in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen and you just threw a lot of pitches, there’s a good chance you’re going to be optioned down for a fresh arm the next day.
The guys are all getting a chance to show what they can do in the big leagues, but the Cubs are taking advantage of their depth by keeping as many fresh arms in the mix as they can at any given time. That means Alec Mills, who made his effective Cubs debut last night, is headed back to Iowa.
Iowa shuttle: Mills back to AAA, Mazzoni back with Cubs.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) July 28, 2018
Mazzoni, 28, returns to a 1.17 ERA over 7.2 big league innings. His peripherals, however, have been pretty meh and he hasn’t performed all that well at AAA this year. The Cubs do like him, though, and with relievers in short stints, it’s not all about the numbers.