NEWSLETTER
Today, the Chicago Cubs made it official for tomorrow’s game: pitching prospect Caleb Kilian will be called up from Triple-A Iowa to make the start (Bastian).
I wrote about the (likely) decision earlier this week, and you can see all my Kilian-related thoughts here. The short version is that expectations should be kept in considerable check, and you just hope this can be part of the development process for Kilian to get him back on track to being a big league contributor in one capacity or another.
To bring Kilian up, the Cubs will have to move somebody else out. Since they’ve been going with an extra man in the bullpen ever since Jameson Taillon went on the IL, I expect it’ll be a reliever getting bumped (though that’s not a guarantee, since it’s just a one-day thing, and the Cubs might want to have an extra reliever around in case Kilian goes very short). Jeremiah Estrada, who hasn’t been used much, would be the obvious guy, since he has options remaining.
Speaking of Taillon, by the way, it could be that he’s back in time for his next turn in the rotation.
Jameson Taillon was scheduled to throw long toss prior to Thursday’s game and the session went so well that he ended up doing a “touch-and-feel” in the bullpen, tossing about 10 pitches off the mound. Taillon was scheduled to start on April 20, but a strained left groin put him on the injured list. He’s eligible to return May 2 and with the progress he’s made, the Cubs are optimistic this will only be a minimum stay on the IL.
It’s been really hard to know how long Taillon would be out – his groin injury was termed “mild to moderate,” which could’ve meant anything from “not really a big deal” to “yeah, he’s gonna miss eight weeks.” Apparently it was more like the former, which is great news.
So, then, here’s where things get interesting. If Kilian is coming up for only one start, and if Taillon is returning next week, the Cubs will have a period between starts where they could sneak an extra player onto the roster – Kilian goes right back down after tomorrow’s game, and this fill-in person comes up until Taillon is activated. It’s a short-term free roster spot!
With a now-open spot on the 40-man roster thanks to the Luis Torrens DFA, it could be anybody. Matt Mervis, getting his first cup? Could be! Riley Thompson getting a taste of the big league bullpen? Could be! Or even just Christopher Morel coming back up for a few days? Could be! Or Miles Mastrobuoni, Nick Burdi, Anthony Kay, Manny Rodriguez, David Bote, Sergio Alcantara, Mike Tauchman … the list goes on. Some are much more likely than others, but the point is, if it’s just a three-day fill-in, the Cubs can just get a little extra depth in the bullpen or on the bench.
Or, if it happens to be Mervis or Morel, and they rake for a few days, it’s also possible the Cubs decide to send someone else out when Taillon returns. We shall see.
