You couldn’t have scripted it better. Well, I mean, outside of Keegan Thompson not being suspended at all.
After giving the Cubs 3.1 excellent innings last night, Thompson was going to be down for at least two days no matter what. Annnnnd how about this timing:
Keegan Thompson’s suspension will start tonight.
MLB reduced it to 2 games after he was given a 3-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Brewers’ McCutchen last Saturday.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) April 15, 2022
Obligatory: I don’t generally condone intentionally throwing at batters, though I understand the Cubs’ frustration about what the Brewers have done over the last three years. So, against that backdrop, I say a suspension for Thompson that will effectively amount to no suspension at all seems fair.
Meanwhile, the Cubs still have to decide on who will start tomorrow’s game against the Rockies, but they now have an option in town:
Mark Leiter Jr. is here in Denver with the Cubs. Related: Cubs have “TBA” listed for Saturday’s starter. Nothing official from the team yet.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) April 15, 2022
It seems like a good idea to have Leiter, who signed a minor league deal in the offseason, available no matter what, just in case the bullpen gets absolutely decimated tonight. In theory, it’s possible the Cubs could still go with a bullpen day tomorrow if there is almost no usage tonight.
On the whole, a Leiter start seems pretty likely – he is a passable fill-in option, with big league experience and a good Spring Training – though you’ll note that he is not on the 40-man roster. Since the 40-man is currently full, it would require a 40-man move to allow him to start tomorrow, either someone gets DFA’d, traded, released, or put on the 60-day IL.