Cubs Roster Moves: Schwindel and Newcomb DFA’d, Quiroz Comes Up, Alzolay Returns

September 17, 2022, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs today dropped a number of roster moves before this afternoon’s game against the Rockies.

It’s a lot:

Cubs moves:

• RHP Adbert Alzolay activated from IL
• INF Esteban Quiroz (acquired from Rays for Harold Ramírez in spring) selected from @IowaCubs
• OF Seiya Suzuki to MLB’s paternity list
• LHP Sean Newcomb, 1B Frank Schwindel DFA’d
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 17, 2022

Frank Schwindel was such a fantastic story last year, and I just feel awful that this season didn’t work out for a variety of reasons. We’ll always have Frank the Tank.

This DFA was going to happen eventually because the 40-man roster is going to get VERY crowded this offseason. Schwindel will be waived, will probably clear waivers, and then it’s just a question of where he winds up for 2023 on his next minor league deal. I’ll be rooting for him wherever it is. I’m not sure I see his best path coming with the Cubs.

Sean Newcomb finally gets DFA’d, which is another that had tentatively been expected for a while (even though he kept teasing with impressive performances mixed in with the unplayably wild ones). He wasn’t going to be tendered a contract in arbitration, so whether it was a DFA now or in November, it was coming. Like Schwindel, I suspect he’ll be looking for his best minor league deal this offseason. It’s conceivable it will be with the Cubs, but that might not get sorted until early next year.

Adbert Alzolay finally returns from the Spring Training lat strain! It’s been a very long and careful recovery process, and now the idea is to get a sense of where he’s at before the offseason, and for him to have some confidence going into it. I think it’s fair to keep the results-related expectations in check, and instead you’d just like to see some good, MLB-quality pitches.

Hey, remember Esteban Quiroz? He was the short-but-powerful utility man the Cubs acquired from the Rays for Harold Ramirez before the season. Quiroz, 30, is making his big league debut, which is very cool for the long-time journeyman who has ALWAYS hit in the minors (and in Mexico), but who was hurt most of this year so he didn’t get his first shot until now. Can he realistically secure his 40-man spot for the whole offseason between now and October? I’m not sure about that. But it’ll be fun to watch.

Filed to: Chicago Cubs