With Jake Arrieta released and Adbert Alzolay on the IL, the Cubs were going to need another starting pitcher soon no matter what. There were a variety of directions they could go, but with Keegan Thompson not quite ready yet, the most logical choice was one of the Triple-A starters who were already stretched out, and who the Cubs might be willing to risk losing if and when they had to outright that pitcher off the 40-man roster later this year or in the offseason.
So, indeed, that’s the choice:
RHP Adrian Sampson will be called up from Triple A and start for the #Cubs tomorrow vs. the Reds, Ross says.
Sampson, 29, last pitched in majors for Rangers in 2019. He has a 4.96 ERA in 16 games (14 starts) at Triple A this year.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 17, 2021
If you guys are wondering who Adrian Sampson is, he’s the only pitcher in the Cubs’ system to complete 7 innings this season (don’t think this has changed in the last two weeks). https://t.co/TvzohgUZf6
— Brad (@ballskwok) August 17, 2021
Sampson, 29, came to the Cubs on a minor league deal back in May, he’s been a steady if unspectacular starter since (4.96 ERA over 14 starts and 81.2 innings). That’s more or less what he was in his recent turn in South Korea, and in his time with the Rangers before that. It does not appear that he’s a guy who is likely to break out, and instead might just be a guy who peaks as a near-league-average PCL/KBO pitcher.
So, while I think it’s great for him, personally, that he is getting another big league shot, I don’t think this is a situation to monitor in terms of him possibly being a guy for the 2022 Cubs rotation. He’s filling in a start or two because the Cubs need him. That’s about the size of it.