The Cubs today continued to rotate in fresh arms, calling up lefty Kyle Ryan from Iowa and sending down Cory Abbott. The former has been pitching very well at Iowa after some rough stretches with the big league team, and the latter has become an up-down guy to cover innings this year. Hopefully it winds up being good for Abbott’s development – facing big league batters and such.
Because Ryan was not on the 40-man roster, the Cubs needed to open up a spot, doing so by designating Robert Stock for assignment. The 31-year-old reliever filled in for a recent big league start, unfortunately without success. If he passes through waivers the Cubs could put him back in the bullpen at Iowa.