Cubs Roster Moves Coming? Estrada and Burdi Reportedly In Houston (UPDATE: Yup)

Well, looks like the Cubs will be adding bullpen reinforcements after all tonight, and the roster implications are mighty interesting.

Jeremiah Estrada and Nick Burdi are with the big league team in Houston, and figure to have a chance to be called up for tonight’s game:

The 40-man spot for Burdi could be easy enough, since Adrian Sampson (knee surgery) could just be transferred to the 60-day IL.

Getting Burdi on the 26-man, however, would require someone actually moving out, to say nothing of Estrada. On the latter, he’s not even eligible to be called back up yet (optioned fewer than 15 days ago), which would mean he would have to replace someone going on the Injured List if he were returning. And, since he’s there in Houston, well, it must mean someone isn’t feeling tip-top. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury.

Maybe we see one reliever go on the Injured List, and then Hayden Wesneski optioned to Iowa (in advance of Kyle Hendricks’ return)? That way the Cubs get an extra free reliever for a few days?

So, we’ll see if Estrada comes back up today (for an injury; happy to see him get another shot, though, because I love the stuff). And we’ll see if Burdi gets his long-awaited and hard-earned return shot in the big leagues after years of injuries. The Cubs plucked the 30-year-old, triple-digit-throwing righty out of the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. He currently sports a 38.8% K rate at Iowa, plus a 10.2% BB rate. He has a 3.38 ERA over 10.2 innings.

UPDATE: More thoughts soon, but it is as guessed: